


Pumpkins and Parties and Park Chanyeol

by diamondbaek



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Ravenclaw! Baekhyun, Slytherin!Chanyeol, hp!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 09:39:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15816303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diamondbaek/pseuds/diamondbaek
Summary: Byun Baekhyun is half Veela & and a 6th year Ravenclaw. Everyone in Hogwarts have always been fascinated by his beauty but nobody dared to approach him due to his reserved nature and quiet demeanor. However everything changes when the Hogwarts' Ice Prince, Slytherin Head Perfect Park Chanyeol asked him out to the dance during dinner at the Great Hall, and he agreed. Everyone choked at that.





	Pumpkins and Parties and Park Chanyeol

**Author's Note:**

> YAY~ I had a lot of fun writing this fic because I really love Harry Potter but I'm a bit afraid that I didn't do the HP!Verse much justice and I tweaked the story a bit differently from the prompt. I really just went with the flow as I was writing this. I'm sorry for any typos or grammar errors. I didn't get to edit this at all >~<  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading <3

**_ Around 5 years ago  _ **

“Hi.” 

The sound of the compartment door sliding ever so slightly open made Baekhyun tear his gaze away from the meadows and fields the Hogwarts Express passed idly by. 

Furrowing his eyebrows, more because of confusion rather than annoyance, Baekhyun looked at the tall, slightly chubby kid standing underneath the doorway. He wasn’t wearing his robes yet, which filled Baekhyun with relief.

He’d been debating with himself for the past hour if it was too early to start wearing school robes. He didn’t want to seem _too_ eager. 

“Uhm, hey,” Baekhyun said, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

Baekhyun was used to people feeling a bit nervous around him. They didn’t understand, at first, what made him seem so intimidating and yet alluring. 

Neither did Baekhyun until fairly recently. 

The kid stared and stared at Baekhyun as if he was in a trance which made Baekhyun just a little bit uncomfortable so he cleared his throat. 

The boy must’ve thought he was scary because he visibly gulped before speaking up again.

“Is this seat taken?” The boy tried for a smile but it slightly wobbled as if he was nervous. He looked like he was regretting his decision to ask. “I’ll just stay for maybe an hour. I just wanted to avoid someone.”

He shuddered which made Baekhyun chuckle and raise his eyebrows in interest.  

Baekhyun gave him a small smile of his own. 

He actually shared the compartment with a childhood friend who had gone somewhere to go compartment hopping with another one of his friends. He wouldn’t be back until it was time to get ready and off the train. 

“It’s fine. I don’t think my friend has any plans of returning soon anyway.”

Feeling comforted by the sight of Baekhyun’s smile, the boy’s smile grew bigger, lighting up his whole face and Baekhyun had to blink in surprise at the sudden warmth.

The boy plopped down in front of him cheerily before reaching into his pockets and taking out a slightly squashed but still edible-looking Pumpkin Pasty. 

“Do you want some?” He offered Baekhyun, handing the packet between them. 

Again, Baekhyun tried for a polite smile and just shook his head. 

“I’m not hungry but, thanks.”

The boy bit his lip and withdrew the offer, nodding along awkwardly and looking away.

Baekhyun watched the boy expectantly, waiting for a name. He was obviously a first year like him, what, with the way he awkwardly looked around in interest and amazement. 

When it seemed obvious that the boy wasn’t going to give him his name, Baekhyun spoke up. 

“I’m Byun Baekhyun.”

The boy looked at him, looking slightly startled before settling on a comfortable grin. 

“Park Chanyeol.”

**_ September 1 – (6th Year) _ **

“Out of all the Muggle things they could incorporate this year, they had to choose having an Annual Ball,” Jongdae groaned beside him as they walked together toward their dorms. 

The four of them had split up from their respective houses to get to the towers the long way around so they could talk more before the start of term. 

Especially with something so interesting to talk about:  the Headmaster’s declaration of a new addition to the events on the school calendar, a dance.

“Just be thankful you only have to go through two of it,” Jongin grumbled from behind. 

“What are you whining about? You’ve got a girlfriend. Just ask her to be your date for all the three dances,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. 

“Jealous, Soo?” Jongin teased. 

Jongdae and Baekhyun tuned them out as they continued walking, talking instead about their OWLs. 

“I got an Exceeds Expectations on Divination, which is more than I expected, really,” Baekhyun mused. “I barely listen during class.” 

Jongdae let out an exaggerated gasp. “A Ravenclaw not listening during class? What has this world come to?” 

Baekhyun nudged him playfully. “You got Exceeds Expectations, too. I didn’t think you enjoyed Professor Firenze that much.”

“I exceed expectations just by attending the class,” Jongdae joked, making Baekhyun snort out a laugh. 

“How was your Potions? I think I barely got an Acceptable,” Jongdae paused. “Wait, don’t answer that, everyone knows you’re basically a genius in Potions. You probably got an Outstanding, didn’t you?” 

“Why did you even ask?” Baekhyun mused. He had, indeed, gotten an Outstanding.

“Could you maybe give me lessons on Potions this year, Baekhyun?” Jongin suddenly piped up from behind them. “I’m horrible at it.”

“Sure, why not” Baekhyun said without hesitation. “Also, I heard you’re Gryffindor’s Quidditch Captain this year? That’s amazing, Jongin! You must be one of the very few fifth years who got the position in the whole history of Hogwarts.”

Baekhyun grinned at him and he grinned back. 

Jongin was a prodigy at Quidditch. They played the same position and Baekhyun would readily admit that Jongin was the better Seeker. Quidditch Captains were usually picked from the sixth or seventh years, a fifth year captain was practically unheard of – that’s just how talented Jongin was. 

“Jongin is definitely gonna lead us to another Championship, just you wait,” Jongdae said with much pride. He himself was a Beater for the Gryffindor team. 

“When do try-outs start anyway?”

They continued on their walk, only a few halls away from where they usually split up to go to their respective dormitories; Baekhyun and Kyungsoo to the right toward the Ravenclaw Tower and Jongdae and Jongin to the left to the Gryffindor Tower. 

Goodbyes were exchanged as they rounded a corner and went along their own ways. 

“How was your break?” Baekhyun asked Kyungsoo politely. 

“Normal. Finished homework within the first 2 weeks so there wasn’t much to do. Mom and Dad and I went to a Muggle theater (Mom’s idea of course), and I quite enjoyed the film,” Kyungsoo said this with a small satisfied smile on his face. 

Baekhyun hummed in interest. 

“What film did you watch?” 

Kyungsoo then began telling Baekhyun the gist of the movie, Baekhyun, dutifully, asking questions now and then, enamored with the story. 

Their conversation, however, was cut off by a deep voice that Baekhyun was strangely familiar with.

“What are you two still doing out here?” the voice asked, not really threatening but not too kind either. 

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun abruptly stopped talking as the Slytherin Prefect began approaching them from the end of the hall. 

“We could ask you the same thing, Park Chanyeol,” Baekhyun drawled, slightly amused. 

He knew of Park Chanyeol – tall, handsome, smart, Prefect and a brilliant Beater to boot. He was almost as famous as Baekhyun was at Hogwarts but Baekhyun didn’t remember Chanyeol as being always that cold. They had a few classes during their previous years but both really couldn’t be bothered by each other.

“ _I’m_ a Prefect, Byun.”

Baekhyun didn’t like that tone of his at all.

“And _we,_ ” Kyungsoo said sharply, quickly grabbing Baekhyun’s arm, as if knowing the Baekhyun was just about to stride over and give this tall boy a piece of his mind. “ – Were just having a small chat before heading back to the dorms.”

Chanyeol snorted. 

“You couldn’t have that chat at the common room?”

“No, because we didn’t particularly want snoops like you listening in,” Baekhyun smirked. 

Chanyeol raised a challenging brow, which might’ve scared some of the lower years but it only served to ruffle Baekhyun’s feathers. 

“It’s the first night, Byun, maybe try not to lose points you don’t have?” Chanyeol snorted as he walked past them, not turning back. 

Baekhyun stuck out his tongue at the Prefect’s back. 

“What was he doing at the side of the castle anyway? His dormitory’s are in the dungeons,” Baekhyun harrumphed and went on his way, dragging Kyungsoo along with him. 

When they arrived at the entrance to the common room and had correctly answered the riddle the bronze knocker gave them (Kyungsoo had answered correctly after having a short debate) and gained access inside, they were immediately met with the glare of their Head Boy, Kim Junmyeon.

“Where have you two been?” He hissed at them, his arms crossed over his chest. 

The common room was mostly empty, with everyone already probably up in their dorm rooms, settling in for the night or at least checking if all their luggage was there. Ravenclaws were _very_ meticulous. If Baekhyun wasn’t one himself, he’d probably find their concern a bit laughable. 

“Seriously, Myeon. I’ve been coming in late on the first night since my first year _five_ years ago; don’t you ever get tired of asking that question?” Baekhyun chuckled, patting his friend on the shoulder as he passed. 

Kyungsoo, however, apologized and explained as Baekhyun leaned on the back of one of the blue couches scattered all around. 

Junmyeon whirled around to look at him when Kyungsoo mentioned the Slytherin Prefect. 

“Park Chanyeol? What did he want? What was he doing up here?” 

“Your guess is probably as good as mine,” Baekhyun shrugged, kicking himself up from the seat he had just taken. “Anyway, I’m going to turn in early tonight. I’m still debating which classes and electives to take tomorrow.”

He and Kyungsoo climbed up the stairs up to their dormitory rooms, leaving Junmyeon with his friends with a goodnight. 

Soon, Kyungsoo bid him goodnight as well as they passed by his room. 

All that was left was for Baekhyun to trudge up to the room he shared with four other people all alone. 

Breakfast in the Great Hall was a whirlwind of activity the next day with schedules being passed down the table and sixth years approaching their Head of House to talk over their classes with them. 

Baekhyun, thankfully, woke up early and waited for no one before going down to eat breakfast but was pleasantly surprised to see Junmyeon already there, handing out schedules to other early risers like him. 

“Good Morning, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon greeted him a bit heartily. “Professor Flitwick’s still busy eating but he’ll come over after to give you counsel on which classes you plan on taking.”

Baekhyn nodded soundlessly and took his seat beside him. 

Baekhyun, despite being a popular kid in Hogwarts, didn’t have that many friends and he usually only stuck to those he had. 

People were already staring at him from up and down the table, mostly guys. The first years couldn’t help it, he knew that, but the others, the ones who’d known him for years should have known better. 

He sighed as he picked on his waffles, not really in the mood to eat alone while being watched by more than a dozen pairs of eyes. 

Just in time, Jongdae came flying in (not literally, of course), draping an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders and shaking him playfully.

“Come on. It’s the just the first day of classes and you’re already frowning. I thought you’d be ecstatic,” Jongdae teased, as he swung his legs over the bench so that he was sitting in front of the table, already reaching for a piece of toast. 

Another reason why people were always staring at them was that he and friends weren’t constricted to which House tables they wanted to eat at. If they wanted to have breakfast at the Gryffindor table they would, if they wanted to eat lunch over at the Hufflepuff’s, they would (with Yixing’s permission but he was really chill so he really didn’t mind when they went over).

During dinner, though, which was a more formal meal time, they very rarely did that. Just for the sake of looking at least _a bit_ civil. 

After the Battle of Hogwarts a few years ago, there were fewer rules around the campus regarding easy things like how they could spend their time during the weekends and the table-hopping during meal times. 

All the Houses were comfortable with each other now but there was still that air of House rivalry at times which was why seeing Baekhyun and his friends being so comfortable with each other despite being from different Houses warranted a few stares. 

Their group of friends, Kim Jongdae and Kim Jongin from Gryffindor; Byun Baekhyun, Do Kyungsoo and Kim Junmyeon from Ravenclaw; Zhang Yixing and Kim Minseok from Hufflepuff and very occasionally Oh Sehun from Slytherin were always seen together. 

Their group of different colors and Houses always caught the attention of others who usually still stuck to comfort zones. 

“Yes, because being stared at like I’m some commodity at a zoo is just _thrilling_ me,” Baekhyun stabbed a fruit with his fork before scoffing. 

“I’m having the time of my life.”

Jongdae was unbothered by the snarky remark as he laughed. 

“I thought you’d be used to it by now.”

“I am,” Baekhyun said. “But that doesn’t mean they get to ogle.”

“Well being half-veela _is_ quite something very interesting, you know,” Jongdae mused. “It’s a good thing you’re gay because I feel like you’d be hexing every boy that eyes you left and right if you weren’t.”

Baekhyun snorted and shoved the sliced fruit in his mouth, relishing in the juice that bursts with flavor in his mouth.

Both of the things Jongdae had called him were true. 

Being half-veela meant that he was beautiful and alluring than anyone else with his moon-white skin, almost glowing under any light and his pretty face and fingers and lips. Girls looked twice, yes, but boys had a hard time looking away. 

It _was_ a good thing that he was gay because he’d have to agree with Jongdae, he’d be very disturbed by men staring at him all the time. Now, he was mostly okay with them stopping to stare as he walked by. 

He wasn’t going to pretend that he didn’t want to at least have one relationship while he was at Hogwarts, pretty much everyone wanted to. 

His wasn’t the only pretty face in the castle, anyway. His friends were proof of that. He’d been attracted to others and had had crushes across the years but one thing always seemed to hold him back from approaching them. 

They liked him, the way he was so alluring and mysterious, but never really got to know him. They wanted to know how a kiss from someone who had Veela blood in them would taste, how it would feel to have snared the attention of someone so beautiful. 

It was why he always only stuck to his friends. He could never trust the others that looked at him like he was some kind of prize. 

But he had gotten used to it. 

Jongdae sat there beside him as they ate, Baekhyun finally taking his food seriously now that he had tasted the juicy fruit and boosted his appetite again. 

When his friends were with him, he felt as if they shielded him from the curious eyes of others that made him uncomfortable. Especially Jongdae who had been his friend since they were in diapers flying around a foot off the ground on miniature broomsticks.

Jongdae had thought nothing of Baekhyun’s strange beauty when he had figured out why he had looked so pretty, the prettiest baby there, and shrugged it off saying that it didn’t matter if he was half-veela or half-troll, he was friends with Byun Baekhyun. 

8 year-old Baekhyun had burst out crying. 

Since then Jongdae had done everything to keep him comfortable at Hogwarts. Even introducing him to friends he made over the years and trusted. 

As they ate, Kyungsoo silently slipped in beside him, quietly putting food in his plate. 

“Good morning,” Baekhyun smiled at him. 

“Mornin’” Jongdae garbled at Kyungsoo through a mouth full of food before beaming at him, his lip curls more defined with his cheeks filled. 

“Good morning,” Kyungsoo smiled at Baekhyun before looking over to Jongdae with a mildly disgusted, mostly amused expression on his face. 

“Please don’t talk while your mouth is full,” Kyungsoo said as he took his seat. 

Jongdea chewed on for a good few more seconds, swallowed and smiled apologetically. 

“Sorry.”

Kyungsoo shook his head as he chuckled and breakfast continued on. 

Some type of silence went through the Great Hall right then as three people walked in. There could have been 2 reasons for the sudden silence. 

It might’ve been the fifth year duo, Oh Sehun and Kim Jongin who were known throughout all of Hogwarts as both rivals and best friends, both being Seekers from rival Houses. 

 Though Jongin was the only one between them made into a Quidditch Captain. 

Not only were they insanely good at Quidditch, they were insanely good-looking too even without the half-veela blood in their veins. Jongin from Gryffindor was ruggedly handsome with a killer smile – confident, charismatic and kindhearted. 

 While his opposite, Sehun from Slytherin had attractive cold features that made him look eternally bored with the perfect eyebrows to match – quiet, cunning and mysterious. 

But both, Baekhyun knew, were actually quite cute and cuddly when you got to know them properly. 

The sudden silence could’ve been because of them but it might also have been equally caused by the new Slytherin Prefect, Park Chanyeol. 

Tall, mean and so, _so_ gorgeous. 

Even Baekhyun acknowledged just how gorgeous he was and might have even had a crush at him during their 4th year but that was beside the point – he was a total asshole now and it was a total turn off 

He stared ahead coldly from behind the two practically glowing celestial beings in front of him, one the sun, the other the moon. 

And Chanyeol was a Greek God behind them. 

They’d been friendly acquaintances during their first two years after they had met each other at the compartment they had shared all those years ago. Smiling politely as they passed by each other in the hallways, nodding in acknowledgement whenever their eyes would meet when they entered the room, that sort of thing. 

Third year, they had learned not to bother with those formalities, barely looking at each other, choosing rather to ignore each other and pretend they weren’t there. Ravenclaw and Slytherin had a falling out at the Quidditch semi-finals the previous year and the both of them had been on their teams, young and hotheaded. 

Early fourth year, though, Chanyeol had saved Baekhyun’s ass from detention when he had caused a distraction during Potions (setting fire to a cauldron filled with frog spawn which left _quite_ the smell) so that Baekhyun could slip into the room without being noticed. He had been in the library, rushing a 12-inch paper for the same class. 

For the rest of the year, Baekhyun had been painfully aware of where Chanyeol was in a room, trying to pick up the courage to say thank you. Baekhyun knew that the distraction was for him because Chanyeol had passed him by at the library before Potions and had reminded him to speed up a bit. 

Baekhyun didn’t get the chance to ever thank him.

By the end of fourth year and the entirety of fifth year, Chanyeol had become unapproachable beyond his sneers and glares. His gaze would pass by Baekhyun as if he weren’t there and if they ever _were_ required to acknowledge each other’s presence, it always ended up in a passive-aggressive argument like last night. 

Baekhyun would fall in love with him if he weren’t such a prick. 

He let out a sigh. To which Jongdae let out an amused huff. 

“Those boys really know how to clear a room,” Jongdae chuckled, shaking his head. “Rather like you, Baek. See? You’re not the only one people gawk at.”

“Thanks. That makes me feel loads better.”

Clearing up his schedule with Flitwick was easier and quicker than he initially thought. He got approved to continue his N.E.W.Ts with Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes and Charms. After that, he put his name in under the list of the people who wanted to try-out for Quidditch.

He was there and out in a few minutes, not really up for any more social interaction. 

Jongdae had gone over to his own House to sort out his classes with his own Head of the House, leaving Baekhyun to wander back to Ravenclaw common room all on his own again (he didn’t have classes first period).

At least there he wouldn’t be bothered by anyone at all because the Ravenclaws knew that he really didn’t like talking that much and all the other lower years had morning classes. 

He bid Kyungsoo goodbye and good luck on his first class, ruffling his hair as he passed before walking out of the Great Hall. 

Baekhyun spent a _lot_ of time alone and he was fine with that. During the previous years at Hogwarts, you’d usually find him at the library. Typical Ravenclaw behavior, yes, but he _really_ spent a lot of time there. Even when he had nothing he needed from the books that surrounded him. 

But it was better to be surrounded by books that may have been magical and their own definition of alive, yes, than staying in a crowded room of people who only ever stared at him. 

His schedule in his hand, he strode across the hallways, head up and looking at no one even when they turned their heads to look at him again.

“Baekhyun!”

The familiar voice made him look to the two people walking towards him.

A smile spread across Baekhyun’s cheeks. 

“Yixing. Minseok,” Baekhyun said, a bit relieved that it hadn’t been someone else he wasn’t familiar with. 

“Seeing you smile can really make someone’s day,” Minseok grinned at him. “You’re as handsome as ever.”

“It’s not like a few months of summer can change _that_ ,” Baekhyun snorted.

“You could have gotten a strange disease,” Yixing pointed. “I doubt you’d still look attractive when you have boils all over you.”

Baekhyun and Minseok exchanged a look before looking at Yixing weirdly. 

Yixing only shrugged. 

“It’s the heart that matters, right?” Baekhyun joked. 

It was a running joke between their group of friends that it wasn’t Baekhyun’s outside _beauty that mattered, it was what was within_. They’d remind him of inner beauty whenever he made a snide comment or be mean and that just because he was gorgeous outside that didn’t mean he was allowed to be an asshole.

If only Park Chanyeol was in on that joke. Maybe then he’d stop lurking in the corridors and scaring seventh years with his glare. 

“Have you had breakfast already?” Minseok asked him, swinging forward and backward on the balls of his feet. 

“Yeah. Just got my schedule, too. Don’t have anything to do for an hour and a half.”

“Off to the library then?” Yixing asked with a knowing smile. 

Baekhyun shook his head. 

“Nah. I think I’m heading back to the common room first and take a nap on one of the couches or something.”

“I want to get some more sleep too,” Yixing pouted, making Minseok chuckle and pat him on the back.

“Too bad we have Herbology,” Minseok gave out a pained sigh. “Come on, let’s get some food.”

Baekhyun stepped to the side to let them pass. 

“See you around, Baek,” Yixing said, waving goodbye. Baekhyun smiled and raised a hand in a wave before turning back around and continuing on his way. 

Turning at a corner that led him to the moving staircases he bumped into someone quite literally, hitting his head on someone’s hard shoulder. 

Seriously though, had this guy never heard of ‘keep right’?

Baekhyun fumed but he kept his glare toned down when he looked up at the boy he had hit, his hand tightening around his wand in his robes as a reflex. 

There’d been cases before when the boys at castle couldn’t themselves around him, losing all sense of control and launching themselves looking for a hug or a kiss. Baekhyun had been known to be a _very_ skilled wizard at throwing hexes at times of dire need. 

But his hand went lax when he saw exactly who he had bumped into.

“Maybe watch where you’re going?” Chanyeol raised a brow at him, looking bored and mildly irritated. 

Irritation flared within Baekhyun. He didn’t know why but seeing Chanyeol always irked him. Maybe because this current Chanyeol was so different from the one he knew before, the one that smiled shyly and offered him Pumpkin Pasties and tried to get him out of detentions.

Where did _that_ Park Chanyeol and why did he leave this giant pain in the ass in his stead?

Baekhyun’s eyebrows nudged toward each other but he decided not to respond, choosing instead to roll his eyes and moving out of the way in one maneuver. 

With his robes swishing behind him he stomped up the stairs, not pausing to look behind him to see that Chanyeol had turned to watch him walk away. 

“ _Why_ do you hate him so much?” Jongdae asked him in during their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. 

They had their wands up and pointed at each other like the rest of the class, Professor Quill making roams around the class, giving out advice and suggestion in a room that was silent save for a few mutters and exasperated groans of frustration

 “We’re working on _nonverbal_ spells, Dae. So we have to be _nonverbal_.”

Jongdae glared at him from his spot 10 feet away but didn’t say anything else. 

Baekhyun kept ready, chanting ‘Protego’ in his mind, waiting for Jongdae to cast a spell. 

Some people had resulted to cheating and were muttering the incantations under their breath which earned them a whack on the head with a piece of parchment by Quill. 

Jongdae looked like he was close to doing the same thing. 

After a few minutes of Jongdae with his eyes narrowed and face a bit purple in concentration, he exhaled and dropped his wand arm with a whine. 

“Nothing’s happening,” he whined at Baekhyun, making him laugh. 

At the sound of his laugh, people glanced to look at the pair of them like they always did. Apparently, even his laugh was so attractive it made people want to laugh with him, too. 

Some had tentative smiles on their faces when they looked over their shoulders to look at him. 

“Why don’t you give it a go if you’re so good, then,” Jongdae said to him challengingly.

Both of them were unfazed by the sudden attention which was quick to fade.

Baekhyun gave Jongdae a tired look but he took a deep breath and got into position. Jongdae did the same, raising their wand arms again.

Steadying his breathing he concentrated all of his energy and focus into willing the simple disarming spell into appearing. 

‘ _Expelliarmus_ ,’ Baekhyun thought as loud as he could, clearing his mind of anything else as he pointed the spell at Jongdae’s arm. 

Jongdae let out a disbelieving gasp as his wand flew 10 feet into the air and straight into Baekhyun’s waiting outstretched arm. He caught it with ease, staring at it in shock before exchanging wide-eyed looks with Jongdae who was staring at him equally as shocked, his hand still raised and open. 

They both let out a laugh of delighted surprise, ignoring the sudden applause around them. 

Baekhyun walked toward Jongdae still shaking with laughter and handed his wand back over, earning himself a punch on his arm.

“Ten points for Ravenclaw,” Quill appraised him. “For being able to do it in under ten minutes. Most impressive, Byun.”

Baekhyun smiled shyly and inclined his head in thanks before turning to Jongdae looking smug. 

“Show-off,” Jongdae muttered before grinning and hitting him with a shoulder. Baekhyun jumped away and rubbed the spot Jongdae had just punched.

A flash of light and a sudden yelp went through the room, making everyone glance behind them to see Park Chanyeol holding his partner’s wand in his hand, a triumphant look on his face. 

There was nothing smug in the expression. He looked pleasantly surprised, a bit of that old childish delight making his face glow, just as Baekhyun had been that he had done it correctly. But once he noticed that all eyes were on his, he schooled his face into bored neutrality. 

Baekhyun wondered if he was the only one who had seen the small lightness in Chanyeol’s expression. 

“Bravo!” Quill clapped. “Ten points for Slytherin. Since we have two people in the class who are capable of doing it correctly, why don’t you have a short duel? Nonverbal only, of course.”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun looked at each other and quickly looked away to narrow their eyes at the professor. 

“Chanyeol, you do the disarming spell and Baekhyun, you will try to shield it.”

Everyone immediately began making a large circle around them, leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun in the middle. 

Baekhyun quickly grabbed on to Jongdae’s robes before he could stalk over to the side. 

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun hissed. 

“You’ll be fine,” Jongdae hissed back, shoving off Baekhyun’s grip gently. “You finally have a chance to both impress and embarrass him.”

“I hate you.”

Jongdae snickered as he walked away. 

Looking at Chanyeol warily, Baekhyun stepped more to the center at the urging of their professor. Chanyeol only looked at him blankly which made him look even colder. 

“Wands at the ready.”

They raised their wand arms, facing each other. 

Anticipation ran across the room, waiting for them to throw their spells. 

Meeting Chanyeol’s gaze again, Baekhyun saw a bit of amusement and mischief there and Baekhyun’s face became stony, getting ready. 

Faster than Baekhyun could process a jinx was hurtling in his direction with a loud crack. Instinct taking over, Baekhyun almost shouted,

“ _Protego_!”

When the bright light had subsided, Baekhyun could see nothing but Chanyeol’s smirk and fury and disbelief burned through him

“Baekhyun, I thought I remembered telling you that we were practicing _nonverbal_ spells,” Quill shook his head, disappointed. 

But Baekhyun didn’t hear him. 

Taking a step forward, he glared in disbelief at Chanyeol who still stood there looking downright smug.

“That wasn’t a Disarming spell,” Baekhyun said lowly, keeping his attention on Chanyeol who looked a bit impressed that Baekhyun had even noticed.

“Excuse me?” 

Again, their professor was ignored.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chanyeol simply said, already turning away. The sight of him looking away as if Baekhyun was nothing but a waste of energy snapped a part of Baekhyun’s self-control.

“ _Tarantallegra,_ ” Baekhyun yelled, already relishing in the image of Chanyeol dancing until his feet hurt. 

But Chanyeol was quick to respond, making a Shield charm of his own. 

Narrowing their eyes at each other, there was a heartbeat of silence before a true duel between them commenced. They weren’t throwing harmless jinxes anymore, Stunning spells and Bat-Bogey hexes went flying and no one dared intervene for fear of being hit. 

Quill was screaming at them to stop but neither let up. 

Behind the flashes of light and sparks flying around Baekhyun could see that Chanyeol was enjoying himself, a wicked smile on his handsome face. Panting heavily, Baekhyun noticed that he was smiling too, maybe even on the verge of laughing. 

What an odd duo the two of them made. 

“Enough!” Quill shrieked, throwing a Shield charm between them so strong that Baekhyun and Chanyeol flew a few feet away from where they were standing. 

Stumbling back a bit, Baekhyun someone put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. He turned to see Jongdae grinning at him appreciatively. 

Chanyeol, from the opposite side only stumbled for a few steps was stable enough as he straightened and brushed his robes. 

“Detention for the both of you. My office, after dinner.” Quill seethed, glaring at the both of them. 

Chanyeol let out a huff and without another look at Baekhyun pushed his way out of the circle of people and walked away. 

Class tried to continue on as if nothing happened. 

“ _Baekhyun_ ,” Junmyeon said in an exasperated tone once he took the seat beside him at dinner in the Great Hall. 

Baekhyun laughed at him lightly, already knowing why he was so exasperated. 

“Calm down, Myeon,” Baekhyun said lovingly, nudging him in the shoulder. “It’s just detention.”

“Yeah, on your _first_ day,” Junmyeon looked at him disbelievingly. “You’re lucky Quill didn’t dock points.”

“It’s not like he could. I bet he was secretly proud Park and I knew so many defensive and offensive spells anyway.”

“So, it’s true then.”

His eyebrows rose as he proceeded to reach for dishes from the center of the table and putting some on his plate. 

“What is?”

“That it was you and that Slytherin Ice Prince, Park Chanyeol that had that falling out at DADA.”

Baekhyun snorted at the name. 

“Who even calls him ‘Ice Prince’?”

Though the name did suit him a bit now. Baekhyun wondered what he would be called if he hadn’t gotten so rude and mean through the years. 

“People like to call you Little Prince,” Junmyeon pointed out, making Baekhyun scrunch his nose in distaste. 

“Ugh. I prefer ‘pretty face’.”

Junmyeon chuckled before clearing his throat and trying to get authority back into his face.

“Anyway, Baek. No more brawling with Park Chanyeol. As your Head Boy and your friend, I’d really appreciate it if you don’t get into anymore trouble.”

“You make it sound like we wrestled all over the castle grounds,” Baekhyun snickered, cutting it short when he saw Junmyeon’s serious face.

“Okay. Fine, fine. No more ‘brawling’. I can’t promise the not getting into anymore trouble part, though. Trouble usually finds its way to me.”

“Just – just lay low.”

“Yes, sir!” Baekhyun saluted before taking a bite of the delicious roast beef, already dreading the detention he’d have to spend with Park Chanyeol that evening.

Jongin and Jongdae accompanied him to the office on their way back to Gryffindor tower. 

“Don’t you have other friends?” Baekhyun sighed when they decided to tag along. 

“No, you’re my only friend,” Jongdae said, cuddling up to him. Baekhyun only let him because if he pushed him away, he’d probably hit the wall and Baekhyun would hate to have hurt both his feelings and his arm. 

“Other people are boring compared to you guys,” Jongin shrugged. 

Baekhyun and Jongdae looked to him in surprise before smiling cheekily and cooing at him. 

“Aw, you’re so cute.”

Baekhyun and Jongdae continued to tease him until they reached their destination; Jongin looked like he regretted saying anything at all. 

“I hate you guys,” Jongin heaved a heavy sigh when they finally shut up and changed the topic. 

“What do you think your detention is going to be about?” Jongdae asked Baekhyun, still clinging on to his arm as they walked down the dim hallways. Now and then a few students would pass them by and they’d stop and stare at the three of them, two Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw. 

“No idea. I just hope it doesn’t include the two of us being in tight quarters because I’m pretty sure that won’t lead to anything but us having another go right then and there.”

“Or you could finally address the sexual tension between you two without pretending it’s actually because you hate each other so that it’s easier for the public to understand.”

Baekhyun’s jaw drop as he stared at Jongin while Jongdae guffawed beside him, stopping dead in the middle of the hallway. 

Jongin smirked at him. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun cleared his throat, starting to walk forward again, dragging Jongdae along with him. 

“Yes, you do,” Jongdae poked him on the side. “We all do.”

Baekhyun glared at the two of his friends, not sure if he was reddening because of frustration or because they had struck a good point. 

“When you two meet each other’s gazes, even if it’s just a split second, it’s like there’s suddenly a lightning strike in the middle of you two and the air’s suddenly crackling with this weird, gay energy,” Jongdae tried to explain and it was Jongin’s turn to laugh now. His high-pitched laugh echoing through the hall. 

Baekhyun shoved Jongdae away, blushing madly now. He couldn’t care less if he _did_ hit the wall. 

Unfortunately, he recovered his footing immediately and only smiled wide at Baekhyun. Before Baekhyun could retort to what he said, Sehun suddenly turned the corner and came face to face with them. 

He smiled warmly at the sight of them. 

“I thought I heard Jongin laughing,” Sehun chuckled, glancing at Jongin before jerking his head at Baekhyun. 

“Chanyeol’s already at the office. You better hurry, he doesn’t like waiting for anyone,” Sehun said, directing the statement toward Baekhyun who only snorted.

 “He can afford to wait a few more minutes. The boy needs to learn a bit of patience,” Baekhyun said harshly. 

Jongdae and Jongin snickered from beside him and he flushed, feeling the urge to send his corgi Patronus chase after them snapping at their ankles. 

“Anyway,” Baekhyun sighed when his friends’ snickers died down, looking at a very amused Sehun who seemed to find his situation funny as well. “Please escort these two away from me. I’ll walk the rest of the way on my own.”

The Gryffindors let out whines of protest but reluctantly turned around when Sehun each put an arm around their shoulders and led them toward their tower. 

Baekhyun didn’t miss the wink Sehun threw him before they walked away, though.

Sehun, Yixing and Minseok had been the only ones who had ever weaseled the fact that Baekhyun had a crush on Chanyeol during fourth year out. The others had only assumed he was attracted to him. 

What did it matter now, anyway? He was younger back then and easily impressed. Now, he barely even looked at the same guy twice. 

He stalked over to Quill’s office with his head held high, trying for an air of confidence he didn’t feel. 

He arrived not even a minute later to find Quill sitting behind his desk and Chanyeol on the chair opposite him, looking outside the window, bored as always. Chanyeol looked like he had insisted to stand throughout the discussion but was forced to sit by the professor anyway.

“Good of you to join us, Mr. Byun.”

Baekhyun only nodded and slipped on to the chair beside Chanyeol’s, leaning as far away as the chair allowed him to. 

“First, I’d like you to apologize to me.”

Chanyeol raised a brow at that but Baekhyun kept his expression blank.

“And then to each other.”

At that, Baekhyun made a face. It felt like they were in pre-school, being forced to apologize for stealing each other’s Cauldron Cakes and hug it out. Baekhyun blanched at the thought of him and Chanyeol ‘hugging it out’.

The room was silent for a few seconds, Quill looking between them expectantly. 

Taking a deep breath, Baekhyun conceded, looking toward his professor.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol spoke at the same time, making them look at each other in surprise. Chanyeol only scoffed and looked away, making Baekhyun’s blood boil. 

_ Sexual tension,  _ Baekhyun snorted inwardly.

Yeah, right. He definitely hated Park Chanyeol. And it seemed the feeling was mutual. 

“Good,” Quill nodded slowly. “Apology accepted. Now, to each other.”

It was better to get it over with so, gritting his teeth, Baekhyun said,

“Sorry.”

Chanyeol met his burning gaze, looked him up and down then sighed tiredly. 

“I’m sorry,” he said without much bite. 

Quill beamed at the two of them and Baekhyun wondered if Chanyeol was thinking of shutting him up with a Stunning spell like he was. 

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” Quill said pleasantly. Baekhyun only nodded and Chanyeol looked away again.

“Now, for the detention part of this late night meeting, would you agree with me if I told you that you two are possibly the best in your year?”

Baekhyun frowned, not sure where he was going with this. Chanyeol had also turned to Quill confusedly. 

“I’m going to take your silence as a yes. So, this task is going to be a piece of cake for the both of you.”

Still no response from the two Sixth years, waiting in patient (well, in Baekhyun’s case; he didn’t know what was going on in Chanyeol’s head) silence for him to continue.

“Someone or something has been stealing the pumpkins in our school’s patch by the Game Keeper’s cottage.”

“Oh no, not the pumpkins,” Chanyeol drawled sarcastically and Baekhyun had to fight the urge to smile a little at the comment. 

“What do you want us to do about it?” Baekhyun asked instead, already regretting the fact that he had not picked up Herbology this year. “Grow them back?”

“No, of course not,” Quill chuckled as if that was obvious. “I want you to catch whatever it is that keeps stealing them?”

“What?” Chanyeol laughed incredulously. “Isn’t that the school’s duty? And why the hell should we care about a bunch of pumpkins?”

Baekhyun ignored Chanyeol’s use of ‘we’.

“I’m not offering this task for extra credit, Park. This is what you’ll be doing for detention.”

Chanyeol huffed. 

“Tonight?” Baekhyun frowned. “But it’s a school night. We have classes tomorrow. You can’t possibly expect us to stand at the edge of the Forbidden Forest the whole night, trying to catch something that might not even appear _and then_ go attend classes in the next few hours.”

“I understand that you have classes during the weekdays; that’s why you’ll be serving your time this Friday night.” 

That didn’t appease Baekhyun and his studious Ravenclaw side rose to the surface. 

“What about homework?” He continued to argue. To be honest, he could probably handle the workload they handed to him and still be able to pull an all-nighter during this ‘pumpkin-watch’. He just didn’t want to spend the night walking through the grounds and, potentially, the Forbidden Forest with Park Chanyeol. 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes at how typically Ravenclaw Baekhyun sounded and Baekhyun had to bite back down a snarl. 

Quill leant back down his chair, crossing his arms across his chest, looking like he was losing his patience. 

“Well, you should’ve thought about that before you decided to have a petty argument during _my_ class.”

Baekhyun had nothing to say to that and Chanyeol didn’t either. When neither of them spoke for a few minutes, Quill clapped his hands once with a sense of finality. 

“You’ll meet here at 10pm on Friday night. I will lead you down to the Game Keeper’s cottage and leave you there to your own devices.”

Baekhyun felt a bitter taste on his tongue as his mind whirled to make up an excuse to change the punishment to just about anything else but he came up blank. 

“Then we’re done here?” Chanyeol stood up, not waiting for Quill’s response before walking out. 

Baekhyun sighed and followed suit. 

“Good night, sir,” Baekhyun said tiredly before leaving. 

“Good night, Mr. Byun”

The week passed by fast enough and Baekhyun found himself wishing that it would go slower. Even lessons seemed to be going forward so fast that he could barely follow. 

He didn’t know if it was because of the promised increase of workload on sixth years or he just wasn’t at his peak condition where he could finish all his homework for the day in a few hours but he found himself in the library again most of the time. 

Yixing, Minseok and Junmyeon would join him most of the time during the mornings to finish up their own homework and Baekhyun was glad for the silent company. They’d ask each other questions about previous lessons some times and then it’d turn into a conversation. 

Baekhyun sometimes joined in but most of the time he tuned them out. 

When Jongin came to him pouting and dragging his feet one afternoon, Baekhyun figured that it was time to start their Potions tutoring. But with Jongin came  Jongdae, and sometimes Sehun and a _lot_ of girls. 

Baekhyun tried not to let it get to him, and his friends would usually keep him distracted with their stupid antics that were a miracle that hadn’t gotten them kicked out yet. They did earn quite the amount of nasty glares from the librarian whenever they laughed too loudly or she caught Jongin eating something he had snuck out of the Great Hall. 

He figured she had a soft spot for him that’s why she hadn’t kicked them out yet. Just as long as they didn’t start drawing on the books, they were in the clear. 

He’d spend the evenings with Kyungsoo, hanging out at one of the tables in the common room, sometimes just reading books and studying, other times they’d play Wizard’s Chess. 

Park Chanyeol, however, he had seen scarce of. It wasn’t like Baekhyun was looking for him, it was just really hard _not_ to notice him when he was in a room. He usually sat at the back during the classes he and Baekhyun shared (which was great since he was so tall, it would be impossible to see the board if you sat behind him). There wasn’t a repeat of what happened during DADA either. 

He never saw him outside of class, though, which was a relief. 

Baekhyun was about to suffer a whole night with him, he didn’t have to add more meetings to that. After that detention, Baekhyun planned not to have any interactions with him whatsoever for the rest of the school and the next. 

Sitting beside Kyungsoo in the Great Hall on Friday eve, Baekhyun couldn’t focus on his dinner. His eyes kept darting to the Slytherin table where he assumed Chanyeol was. The hall was filled with the murmur of so many conversations going on at once and the clinks of dishware as dinner went on, unaware of Baekhyun’s inner turmoil. 

“You okay?” Kyungsoo asked, peering over at him. “You look a little green.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun choked out. “Never better.”

“Is this about the ‘pumpkin watch’ you keep on mentioning?” 

Yes and no.

“Kinda,” Baekhyun said with a sigh. “I’m just worried something might happen, y’know. I might end up falling asleep and then an Acromantula might come and eat me up.”

The thought made him shudder. 

“But you won’t be going alone, won’t you?” Kyungsoo tried to remind him but that only resulted in Baekhyun scoffing. 

“Like Park Chanyeol is going to be any help. He’d feed me to the spiders himself if he could.”

“If you say so,” Kyungsoo mused as they continued dinner, Baekhyun still anxiously bouncing his leg up and down. 

Half an hour later, around 8pm, Jongdae and Minseok accompanied him as he paced around one of the many courtyards in the castle, waiting for 10pm. 

Well, Baekhyun paced while Jongdae and Minseok lounged on one of the stone benches. They used Baekhyun’s agitation and inability to keep still to their advantage, hanging out with him to avoid getting weird looks while they cuddled together under the moonlight. 

A Gryffindor sixth year and a Hufflepuff seventh year together. Baekhyun admitted that they looked cute together but they couldn’t at least help him out instead of acting all sweet. 

He had stripped off his robes and was left with his black pants, black sweater and shoes, feeling a bit lighter with the outerwear.

“Calm down, Baekhyun,” Minseok laughed. “It’s just a night with pumpkins and Park Chanyeol. What could possibly happen?”

“Don’t say that,” Baekhyun whined, glaring at him. “You’ll jinx it.”

Jongdae laughed at his worried state. 

“It’s going to be fine, Baek. If you really don’t want to talk to him, you could always just stare at the pumpkins, pretend he doesn’t exist. Should be easy enough for you.”

“What if we get into another fight?”

“Then, don’t,” Jongdae shrugged. “You can keep it in your pants for a night, can’t you?”

“For the last time,” Baekhyun said exasperatedly. “It’s not like that. There is nothing between Park Chanyeol and me besides a healthy dose of loathing.”

“If you say so.”

“You guys are _so_ frustrating,” Baekhyun groaned, sitting on the patch of grass by their feet, sulking. 

Minseok ran his hands through Baekhyun’s hair comfortingly and Baekhyun leaned into the touch. 

“You worry too much. It’s literally a night compared to the rest of your life. If nothing really _is_ between you and Park then this should be a walk in the – “

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Baekhyun said severely, lifting his head to give Minseok a dirty look which only served to make him laugh. 

Jongdae seemed to be equally turned off from the almost joke, shaking his head in disappointment. 

“We really need to get you a new sense of humor.”

 Baekhyun nodded in agreement as Minseok pouted at the both of them. 

“Fuck you. Junmyeon and Yixing think I’m funny.”

“That’s because Myeonnie’s a literal dad,” Baekhyun pointed out. 

“And Yixing’s only laughing to be polite,” Jongdae added. 

Minseok sighed. 

“Why are the three of us even friends?”

The remaining time between their little hangout and the inevitable detention-serving passed by quickly and soon Baekhyun was waiting outside Quill’s office, antsy and shifting from one foot to another. 

Minseok and Jongdae had offered to wait with him but Baekhyun said he would rather not risk getting caught in the middle of an inappropriate conversation (they always had weird conversations) by Quill, or worse, by Park Chanyeol. 

So, Baekhyun waited by himself in the candlelit corridor, the statue of armor his only company, wondering where in Merlin’s pants they could be. 

Five minutes past ten in the evening, Baekhyun heard a pair of footsteps approach and schooled his expression into that of bored neutrality that was appropriate for either person he waited for. 

“Quill’s waiting for us on the grounds,” came that familiar deep voice from the corridor behind him. 

Baekhyun looked him up and down. He had discarded his robes just as Baekhyun had and that left him in a white button down shirt that stretched across the expanse of his chest and broad shoulders, pants hanging snugly on his waist. 

It made him look boyish and younger and a bit more approachable, especially without that usual scowl on his face.

If Chanyeol wasn’t snarling at him, maybe Baekhyun could attempt to be civil for once. 

He furrowed his brows in confusion then narrowed his eyes at Chanyeol skeptically. Was he attempting to fool him into skipping detention and get into more trouble?

“He specifically said to wait for him here,” Baekhyun said simply. 

Chanyeol, to his credit, didn’t seem to be offended by the Baekhyun’s blatant suspiciousness of him, shrugging casually, a hand in his pocket. 

“Suit yourself,” He said, turning around. “I’m going on ahead.”

For a few seconds Baekhyun let him walk away, watching as his tall figure got farther and farther away.  

He weighed the decision in his mind. If Chanyeol was telling the truth and Quill _was_ already at the grounds and Baekhyun wasn’t there in a few minutes then who knew what he would do. If Chanyeol _was_ lying and he was just messing with him well – 

Either way Baekhyun could run really fast. 

Sighing to himself, he jogged to catch up to Chanyeol just as he was turning to walk down a flight of stairs. When Baekhyun reached him and they walked side by side, Baekhyun swore he saw a happy smirk tug at Chanyeol’s lips.

“How’d you know he was already there?” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol as they walked down. He couldn’t help but feel a bit cautious around him but he decided that he might as well try as early as now to communicate if they were going to be spending the night together. 

“He approached me after dinner, telling me the change of plans. Went looking for you, too, but you’d already left.”

That seemed to sound sincere enough and Baekhyun nodded as his only response. He figured that he shouldn’t push it, falling back into that semi-awkward silence as they continued to walk down the continuous flights of stairs. 

Baekhyun, instead, tried to watch for where he was going. They were on the second floor. If his memory served him right, there was a step here that occasionally disappeared and he reminded himself to jump. He eyed the step, he was pretty sure was the disappearing one. 

Apparently Chanyeol had a lot of things on his mind because he stared off to the distance as he walked, not bothering with his surroundings at all. A few more steps and he’ll definitely slip through that hole. 

“Wait, that’s –,” 

Baekhyun’s warning was cut short by the yelp that bubbled out of Chanyeol’s chest when his foot went straight through the step and into open air. 

He quickly grasped Chanyeol’s flailing arm to keep him steady as Chanyeol’s other hand gripped the railing.

Try hard as he might, Baekhyun snorted out a laugh in surprise and delight that something so simple had broken through Chanyeol’s Ice Prince façade. 

Chanyeol whipped around to glare at him, his face red and his cute, gigantic ears even redder. 

“Sorry,” Baekhyun gasped out as Chanyeol yanked his hand away from Baekhyun’s grip when he finally collected himself.

The apology seemed to fall on deaf ears, Chanyeol walking on as if nothing had happened. 

Baekhyun followed, a little less defensive now that he had gotten a good laugh, carefully jumping over the step. 

“In my defense. I did try to warn you.”

After that was said, no other words were exchanged until they reached the castle grounds where Professor Quill was already waiting, light coming from his wand illuminating him in a wide circle. He raised his hand in a wave when he spotted them walking down the path towards the Game Keeper’s cottage. 

Baekhyun swallowed a sigh of dismay when the fact that he was going to stay up all night, staring at pumpkins with Park Chanyeol finally sunk in. He only wished he had gotten enough sleep last night not to sleep on the job. 

Shivering a bit in the cold air, he also wished he had worn a thicker sweater. 

“I’m guessing you know what to do?” Quill looked at them expectantly, rolling his wand back and forth on his palm, making the light dance all around them and make Baekhyun dizzy. 

“Not exactly,” Baekhyun murmured but shrugged. “We just have to stand guard over all the pumpkins and make sure that not one of them gets stolen tonight.”

“Precisely,” Quill nodded, pointing the wand at Baekhyun and Chanyeols direction, momentarily blinding them. Baekhyun covered his eyes with an arm as Chanyeol looked away with a curse. 

When the professor had realized his mistake and turned his light skyward instead, Baekhyun and Chanyeol glowered at him. 

“What do we do if we actually catch the one stealing the pumpkins?” Chanyeol asked, raising an already annoyed brow at their teacher.

“Capture it if you can. Don’t kill it, no matter what it may be. If you can’t capture it then inform us immediately after it’s been sighted by either one of you, we’ll take care of the rest.”

With nothing else to confirm and ask, Quill walked away, back into the comfort of the castle, probably going to get ready for bed. Baekhyun watched him leave wistfully, wishing he, too was getting ready to tuck in beneath his magically warm blankets and get a good night’s rest.

“I guess we better get going then,” Baekhyun said, trudging on forward toward the pumpkin patch in the distance. 

Chanyeol grunted as he followed. 

An hour or so later, Baekhyun couldn’t handle the deafening silence that rang in his ears, which was odd since he was so used to it. It seemed that with Chanyeol there and Baekhyun being incredibly cold and shivering at the moment, he wanted to chatter along just for something to do. 

There was literally _nothing_ to look or stare at as they kept watch on the pumpkins. They sat a few feet away from each other on a crate each. There were dozens scattered along the area, for what, Baekhyun had no idea but they had been careful to check the contents before taking a seat, worried that one might hold a creature that could bite a piece of their ass off. 

They had their wands out and Chanyeol was playing around with the orb of light he had conjured up, making it sway this way and that, probably bored out of his mind. Baekhyun would’ve told him off if the light hadn’t been a bit more entertaining than pumpkin watching.  

That and the cute expression of concentration on Chanyeol’s face which sometimes morphed into delight when he managed to toss it around successfully managed to snag Baekhyun’s full attention.

When Baekhyun noticed that he was staring too long, he looked away and finally pulled a book out of his pocket. He had a few pants whose pockets he had enchanted with Undetectable Expanding Charms and this was one of them. Pulling out a book, he lit up his own wand with a murmur of ‘ _lumos_ ’ and proceeded to read, determined to get through the night without fighting with Chanyeol. 

“You know,” Chanyeol suddenly said and Baekhyun jolted in surprise at the sound of his voice. “I think Quill’s just messing with us.”

Baekhyun didn’t want to answer. He wanted to focus on his book and just mind his own business like he had originally planned but late night conversations with a stranger piqued Baekhyun’s interest and curiosity. Gathering information about interesting people was a guilty pleasure Baekhyun rarely got to relish in seeing as he was shy in nature. 

Without really thinking about it or looking up from his book, Baekhyun replied. 

“Really?” He said, trying to sound at all interested, flipping on to the next page. “What gave you that idea?”

“I’m pretty sure if the pumpkin stealing was a real problem then they would’ve set up detectors or something. They didn’t need to send a pair of sixth years out here to freeze their asses off.”

Baekhyun hummed. 

He had come to the same conclusion a few days ago. It was obviously Quill had just made up the pressing problem so that they would suffer. There were a number of skilled teachers up in that castle and any one of them could have cast protective charms over these stupid pumpkins if they mattered so much. 

“Well, we _did_ disrupt the class so I guess we brought this on ourselves,” Baekhyun merely said. 

“You started it.”

Baekhyun closed his book with a snap and looked at Chanyeol with an expression that was both tired and exasperated. 

“May I ask you what spell you used when you decided to attack me instead of disarming me like how you were supposed to do,” Baekhyun gave Chanyeol a sickly sweet smile that he knew still looked pretty on his face. 

That thought was confirmed when Chanyeol stopped to stare at him for a moment, forgetting what they were talking about, his wand hanging loosely in his fingers. 

His gaze sent a rush of foreign feelings through Baekhyun, flushing under the moonlight that had now begun to show through the clouds. 

Chanyeol finally snapped out of the daze with a frown and shake of his head when Baekhyun decided to look away. It seemed that even Park Chanyeol was still affected by Baekhyun’s strange pull. 

“ _Rectumsempra_ ,” Chanyeol said after clearing his throat. “I threw the jinx at you without even thinking about it twice.”

Baekhyun looked at him confusedly, utterly baffled by the new information.

“ _Rectumsempra?_ ” Baekhyun repeated in disbelief. “The tickling jinx?”

Chanyeol nodded, a little color blooming at the tips of his ears in what Baekhyun assumed was embarrassment. 

“Why the hell would you throw me tickling jinx in the middle of a nonverbal lesson? Did you want me to laugh out loud to embarrass me?”

Baekhyun knew his laugh was loud, especially when he got hysterical. People have told him that his laugh was adorable (of course, by ‘people’, he means those who were practically head over heels for him) but he always thought he sounded a bit crazy when he laughed. 

“No,” Chanyeol said quickly and it was as if Baekhyun was seeing his façade melt away with each passing moment and he was being a glimpse of the Chanyeol that had once almost been his friend. 

“I – Well, I heard you laugh a few minutes before we were suddenly paired off against each other and I couldn’t get the sound out of my head. I wanted to hear it again.”

Baekhyun felt flattered though he was sure that if it were somebody else who was telling him this, he’d feel slightly creeped out. 

“So,” Baekhyun trailed off. “You couldn’t have just said a joke? Did you really have to go and attack me?”

Chanyeol lolled his head on his shoulders to look at Baekhyun lazily. 

“It seems like I can’t think clearly when I’m around you. It’s very frustrating how you dazzle people.”

At that, Baekhyun let out a laugh. 

“I dazzle people?” 

The words amused him coming from Park Chanyeol, the most unimpressionable person in Hogwarts. They all assumed he was, anyway. 

“Don’t tell me you don’t notice? Or is it you just don’t want to notice the way people look at you?”

Baekhyun let out a snort, feeling a bit surreal that he was actually having a normal conversation with Chanyeol without wanting to bite his head off. If he looked hard enough, it might even seem like they were flirting. 

“How could I _not_ notice? I’m so used to people staring that it’s already second nature for me to be careful of every single thing I do when I’m out in public.”

“Is that why you spend a lot of time in the library?” Chanyeol mused. 

Baekhyun raised a questioning brow at him, smirking. 

“Stalking me?” 

“More like stumbling into you taking a nap behind a raised book, pretending to be studying like the good Ravenclaw you are.”

He blinked at that. He never thought that anyone other than the librarian knew he took naps behind an open book or a stack of them whenever he had nothing else to do. Even some times during the weekends where everyone was enjoying the sunshine outside, Baekhyun lounged around one of the tables near the windows, taking a nap under a patch of sunlight like an overgrown cat.

“What’s a Slytherin like you doing in the library anyway? I never got the impression that you enjoyed reading books.”

“What would you know about me?” Chanyeol laughed humorlessly. “The only things people know about who I am are from baseless rumors and exaggerated stories.”

“It’s not like those stories are spread without effort,” Baekhyun attempted. “They must have stemmed from somewhere. That vicious look that gets on your face whenever someone bumps into accidentally in the hallway, for example; it practically _screams_ murder.”

Chanyeol made a face at Baekhyun before breaking out into a grin. 

“The hallway is pretty wide, they could always move out of my way.”

Baekhyun sketched a brow up, laughing at the ridiculousness of what he said and then he mocked a bow. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t aware you were royalty. Maybe you could add ‘bowing at the waist’ to the list of things people need to do when they see you.”

“Royalty, I may not be but I hate it when people get in my way figuratively and physically.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. 

“Prince Park Chanyeol _does_ have a nice ring to it,” Baekhyun snorted while Chanyeol chuckled from beside him. 

“Hey, what do you say we ditch?” Chanyeol suddenly suggested, leaning forward on the barrels. 

Baekhyun stared at him in disbelief. 

“Why? So we can have a month of detention this time? No, thank you.”

“Oh, come on, don’t be such a goody two shoes,” Chanyeol grinned mischievously. “You and I both know that you aren’t in the slightest. Besides, if they catch us, we could just say we trying to follow the creature that had stolen the pumpkin.”

“You can go and do whatever you want Chanyeol,” Baekhyun made himself more comfortable on his already uncomfortable barrel. 

Chanyeol shrugged, standing up and dusting off his butt.  

“Suit yourself.”

Baekhyun tried not to watch him turn on his heel and walk away, pretending to go back to his reading. He then realized that being all alone in the castle grounds wasn’t really the best idea. He whipped around to see that Chanyeol had started walking into the Forbidden Forest. 

“Park!” Baekhyun whispered, suddenly afraid of the scary monsters his imagination had started planting in his head. 

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun called again, this time a shout. 

Chanyeol whirled around to look at him in shock, apparently not expecting him to stop him. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Baekhyun tried for a demanding voice but he was pretty sure he sounded shaky. 

“Into the Forbidden Forest, duh,” Chanyeol said jerking a thumb behind him into the dark forest that loomed beyond. 

“It’s forbidden for a reason, dumbass.”

They had started walking the distance between them so they wouldn’t have to shout to hear and understand each other. They stood face to face in the moonlight, Chanyeol towering over Baekhyun under the moonlight. 

“Like that’s ever stopped me before,” Chanyeol scoffed. “Or you.”

Baekhyun remembered the times he had snuck into the forest with his friends on the weekends he felt to jumpy to stay all curled up in the library. The couple of times they had gone in during class and not had all been pleasant, not one thing had tried to eat them, though they did stumble upon the centaurs that seemed at the time ready to eat something else. 

“We’ve never gone in at night, though,” Baekhyun hissed at him. To be honest, he felt both scared of being left alone watching over the pumpkins and equally squared of entering the forest, even with Park Chanyeol by his side. 

“There’s a first time for everything, right?” 

And Chanyeol smiled at him playfully and Baekhyun was sure his easily love-struck heart skipped a beat. 

“I’m only going to go in and grab a few twigs and branches for us to make a fire with,” Chanyeol explained. “I don’t really feel keen on spending the night here with the cold wind biting our asses.”

“Then I’m going with you.”

The words had left his mouth before he even realized that he was saying them and the cheeky smile growing on Chanyeol’s face made him regret it instantly. 

“Worried?” Chanyeol teased him. “You don’t have to be, you know. I’ll be right back.”

Baekhyun felt oddly comforted by the way that Chanyeol tried to reassure him that he was coming back and not leaving him alone. But despite the seemingly sincere and genuine promise, Baekhyun shook his head. 

“No, I’ll come with you. The fire is for the both of us anyway.”

Chanyeol nodded and thankfully didn’t fight against him tagging along with him. 

“Let’s go then. Wands out, just in case.”

They walked into the forest side by side, their wands out, and their shoulders practically touching. Baekhyun tried to convince himself that the lack of distance between them was just because they were sharing body each other’s body heat. 

“If we stumble upon an Acromantula, I will not hesitate to leave your ass in the dust,” Baekhyun murmured, lifting his wand in front of the two of them, lighting their way. 

The sound of Chanyeol’s deep chuckle sent shivers down Baekhyun’s spine though he blamed it on the passing wind. 

For someone who looked tall and graceful, Chanyeol tripped over his own two feet way too often. Walking through the forest in the dark with only their wands as their sources of light was practically a death trap for him. Baekhyun had to point his wand at the ground so he could help him watch out for stray tree roots or rocks that could cause him to fall over even more. 

After he had stumbled for the third, Baekhyun let out a tired a sigh when he grabbed his arm to keep him steady once agai, Baekhyun’s cold fingers relished in the few seconds of someone else’s body heat.

“Would you have just given up and lain down on the forest floor if I hadn’t come along with you?” Baekhyun snickered at him. 

Chanyeol only glared at him briefly before brushing himself off for the umpteenth time.

“I would’ve been perfectly fine even if you hadn’t accompanied me,” Chanyeol huffed, fixing the small pile of branches he had collected under his arm. Baekhyun had a similar but smaller pile under his arm as well. They’d picked them up along the way when they had deemed them dry enough to use for a fire.

“I’m having trouble believing that,” Baekhyun snorted. “I can’t believe the Slytherin Ice Prince is actually a klutz.”

Even under the dim lighting of the moonlight breaking through the trees and the glowing of their wands, Baekhyun could see the faint blush that spread across Chanyeol’s cheeks, his ears red with embarrassment. 

“Not everyone can be perfect,” Chanyeol grumbled as they continued their trek back to the pumpkin patch, already having spent more than an hour in the forest, Baekhyun insisting that they should start heading back when he had glimpsed what he swore where spider webs on one of the branches high above. 

Chanyeol had laughed at him but Baekhyun had spotted the slight panic in his eyes as well. 

They still had hours until daylight wherein their detention sentence would be over and Baekhyun admitted that it wasn’t half as bad as he feared it would be. Chanyeol wasn’t as half as bad as he feared he would be as well. 

As they walked, Baekhyun studied Chanyeol walking a few steps ahead of him. 

“You’re far more approachable when you’re not around people,” Baekhyun noted, making Chanyeol suddenly stop in his tracks. Chanyeol looked at him over a shoulder questioningly but thankfully not angry. 

“What does that mean?”

Baekhyun shrugged as he took the few steps so that they stood beside each other again. 

“I just meant that when we’re around other people, you always look so cold, like you don’t want people talking to you at all.”

“Pot calling the kettle black, dude,” Chanyeol laughed good-naturedly and once again Baekhyun is hit with the warmth. He wasn’t used to Chanyeol laughing or smiling. “I don’t think I’ve heard you say this much with anyone else other than your friends.”

“People are too intimidated with me to ever talk to me normally,” Baekhyun scrunched up his nose. “And besides, I don’t like socializing anyway. It’s tiring to keep up with everyone.”

“Ditto.”

Baekhyun peered up at him in the dark. 

“Why don’t _you_ socialize?”

Chanyeol just shrugged. 

“There’s no rule saying that I have to. Besides, you’re right, people _are_ tiring,” Chanyeol gave him a lopsided smile before turning back to watch where he was going, not really wanting to trip again. 

“Then why are you talking to me?” Baekhyun found himself asking. 

“Because I like you.”

Baekhyun stopped and stared at him as he continued walking. He didn’t know what answer to expect, probably another half-assed answer or a bratty response but _definitely_ not that. A _whoosh_ of breath left Baekhyun’s lips as his heart threatened to speed up.

Chanyeol noticed that he had fallen behind and turned back to look at him in confusion. When he saw Baekhyun reddening like a tomato, he let out a laugh. 

“That was a joke, Byun. Not everyone is in love with you,” Chanyeol shook his head, chuckling. 

For a second, Baekhyun felt his heart drop in disappointment but it was only a hot second. Mostly, he felt embarrassed, his face reddening for a whole other reason now. 

Baekhyun shook his head, schooling his expression into annoyance, and continued walking forward once more, letting Chanyeol walk beside him.

“I thought I’d have to reject you in the middle of the forest and we’d spend the rest of the night in awkward silence,” Baekhyun said, sending Chanyeol a smirk. 

“Really? I actually thought you looked like you liked the idea of me having a crush on you,” Chanyeol grinned at him widely, teasingly. 

“Please,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Nothing could’ve been further from the truth.”

“If you say so.”

 After 15 minutes of walking around almost blindly through the thick forest, they finally broke through the tree line into the pumpkin patch clearing a few meters away from they were seated awhile ago. 

The clouds had rolled on by to reveal the bright moon shining down on them and the stars with it. It was quite the romantic scene if they didn’t dislike each other so much. 

“Told you we’d find it,” Chanyeol said smugly, trudging back to their original spot. 

“It doesn’t look like any of the giant pumpkins had disappeared. Good,” Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief. It had been his silent worry for the past hour if someone had come around to steal a pumpkin while they were gone. 

“You worry too much,” Chanyeol snorted as he threw the pile of twigs, branches and sticks unceremoniously on the ground by his feet. 

After recounting and checking the pumpkins twice, Baekhyun did the same, sitting himself down on the hardened ground in the process while he arranged the pile properly. 

Chanyeol sunk down beside him and for a few seconds they just sat there in silence, staring at anything but each other.

“Would you like to do the honors?” Baekhyun finally said, clearing his throat and lifting his wand. “Or should I?”

“No, I got it,” Chanyeol shook his head, pointing his wand at the neat pile and muttered, “ _Incendio_.”

A quick spark erupted from Chanyeol’s wand and flew to their makeshift campfire, instantly lighting it on fire. Almost as instantly, it finally started getting warm and the two of them couldn’t help but sigh at the feeling of warmth seeping through their bones. 

Unconsciously, their postures slumped and slightly leaned into each other in exhaustion. 

A few more minutes of silence passed as the two of them enjoyed the heat and the sudden crown of light surrounding them, the only sound that could be heard was the soft crackling of the fire, before Chanyeol suddenly spoke up. 

“You know what those pumpkins remind me off?” Chanyeol mused, looking over at Baekhyun with a little smile. 

“What?” Baekhyun asked, turning to the fire on instinct when their gazes met, poking at it with a stick.

“The Pumpkin Pasty I tried to give you that first day we met on the train en route to Hogwarts.”

Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol with a surprised laugh, his mind remembering the memory clearly as if it was yesterday. 

“When we were 11?” Baekhyun laughed and Chanyeol seemed to glow with an internal happiness at the sight of him laughing. 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol grinned at him and Baekhyun had never felt weirder. He never would have imagined that he’d be sitting side by side, laughing and reminiscing with Park Chanyeol. 

“I was just trying to be nice. You could have taken it from me.”

“I wasn’t hungry,” Baekhyun defended himself, using his hands to express himself better.

“Still.” Chanyeol chuckled, shaking his head. “11-year-old me was hurt.”

“11-year-old you was cute and chubby.”

“Hey!”

The next hour was spent bickering and story-telling and more bickering until Baekhyun hadn’t noticed that he started falling asleep while Chanyeol was still talking about the Toad Choir wherein he had been invited to join once before. While he raved on and on about being forced to pick a toad up, Baekhyun felt his head tilt to the side as his heavy eyelids finally closed unable to keep them open any longer. 

“Baekhyun,” someone whispered, jostling him awake. 

“Baekhyun, wake up.”

Baekhyun only groaned, swatting away the hand that started shaking his thigh with silent urgency. His neck felt a little strained, like it was in the same position for a very long time and sitting on the ground was no longer comfortable for his aching butt. But the shoulder he rested his head upon was comfortable and warm and wiggling away from him, trying to wake him up. 

“Baekhyun,” the voice hissed, finally pushing him off. 

Baekhyun straightened in surprise, the barrel digging into his back disappearing. It took a minute for him to process where he was and what was happening. The dying embers of their fire glowing a beautiful orange-red in front of him and Park Chanyeol, who he had been leaning on as he dozed off he realized in horror, was standing awestruck beside him. 

But he wasn’t looking at Baekhyun. 

He got up to his feet groggily, still not quite awake yet, to look at what Chanyeol was ogling at. Baekhyun squinted for a second, trying to make sense out his surroundings. 

When he finally noticed what Chanyeol was staring at, he let out a gasp of delighted surprise before it turned into confusion. 

“Am I dreaming?” Baekhyun whispered to Chanyeol who had started inching closer to the creature. 

“No. I’m flattered you think you’d be dreaming of me, though,” Chanyeol smirked at him. Baekhyun only rolled his eyes as a response, though his heart gave a different reaction to the flirting. 

“Then why am I seeing a unicorn dragging that pumpkin slowly away,” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol confusedly. Because there it was a _unicorn_ , having chewed away the stump that connected the pumpkin to the other pumpkins, dragging said pumpkin away, into the forest. 

“I have no idea,” Chanyeol said in total wonder, shaking his head. 

“Unicorns don’t even _eat_ pumpkins,” Baekhyun argued exasperatedly. He was sure he was still dreaming. 

“Maybe it isn’t for him but never mind that Baekhyun. Look at it,” Chanyeol breathed. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

Finally looking at it and trying to take the pumpkin out of the picture, Baekhyun did get what Chanyeol was saying. It practically glowed under the moonlight, as if it reflected the beautiful white light. It’s hair sleek and soft and it was as if it practically oozed magic. 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun found himself nodding along. 

“I guess we should head back to the castle and tell Quill a unicorn is stealing the school pumpkins so we can finally crash.”

Chanyeol finally tore his gaze away from the majestic creature to look at Baekhyun and Baekhyun could’ve sworn those brilliant bright eyes of his only glowed brighter. Baekhyun looked away and doused the small flickering flame with a muttered “ _Aguamenti_.”

“He’s going to think it’s a joke,” Chanyeol gave him a lopsided grin. 

Baekhyun shrugged. 

“Well, unless he wants us to drag the unicorn back to his office by its horn, he’s got not choice to believe us.”

Baekhyun started for the castle, already yearning for his soft bed and the arms of deep sleep. Chanyeol kept glancing behind him, though to the unicorn that was now disappearing through the trees. 

“What?” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol sleepily when he glanced at the unicorn then back at him. 

“The unicorn reminds me of you,” Chanyeol said. 

“Huh?”

“You glow the same way and you’re ethereal and beautiful and completely untouchable.”

Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol as they walked to the castle together, flattered and blushing and confused. 

“You think I look like a unicorn?” Baekhyun snorted with laughter.

Chanyeol shoved him, his face flaming endearingly again. 

“I take back what I said. You’re definitely an ass.”

Two months passed after that night. _Two months_ – and it’s like nothing had ever happened. 

It confused the hell out of Baekhyun. 

After they had gone straight to Quill’s office and had woke him up with smug little grins on their faces when they had told him they had caught the thief and that it was a unicorn, Quill had just stared at them like they had grown two heads each and waved them away before going back to sleep and suggested that they do the same. 

It was still dark when Baekhyun and Chanyeol had walked through the hallways back to their dormitories, an awkward silence casting over them as if they suddenly didn’t know each other again. When they reached the sets of stairs that would bring Baekhyun up and Chanyeol down, they paused for a moment. 

“So, yeah, good night, I guess,” Chanyeol had said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Baekhyun had fought off the smile that played around his lips 

“Yeah, let’s not do this again,” Baekhyun replied. Chanyeol chuckled, shaking his head before going on his way, never once looking back. 

What came after was a blur of school activities that Baekhyun could barely remember. All that free time he had enjoyed when the term had just started was now all used up by extra studying and doing lots and lots of homework that never seemed to end. More disappointing than the loss of the sixth years’ free time was the fact that he and Chanyeol had gone back to how they were before that night. 

Just a little less glaring and more staring. 

And Baekhyun didn’t know if he was annoyed, sad or both. He refused to acknowledge it as ‘sexual tension’ as his friends constantly tried to convince him. 

As schoolwork and Quidditch practice (he had gotten unto the team) filled up Baekhyun’s time, the days passed idly by. He tutored Jongin in the library sometimes after dinner, most times during the weekends. Baekhyun wondered if Jongin was actually processing anything because whenever they were at the library studying seriously, one of their friends would arrive and then another until they filled up one of the long tables in one of the corners of the library, talking and laughing and telling stories. 

Yixing tried to shush them with a smile on his face whenever they got too loud but the whispering and silent conversation never really lasted for long so Junmyeon and Kyungsoo thought up an alternative which was using the _Muffliato_ Charm. That way they weren’t glared at by the librarian and the students actually trying to study. 

But those ‘classes’ were usually cancelled when either Jongin or Baekhyun had Quidditch practice.

The first games were Ravenclaw against Slytherin and Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. At the back of Baekhyun’s mind he knew that Chanyeol would be out there flying against him during the first game and he didn’t know if he should be happy about that or mildly scared because Chanyeol was a _really_ good Beater. 

During their game Baekhyun tried his best to stay as far away from Chanyeol as possible while looking for the Snitch at the same time. When he narrowly dodged a Bludger to the face he whipped around to find Chanyeol giving him a shit-eating grin. 

Baekhyun flicked him off before flying away, trying to keep his focus on finding the Snitch and the Snitch only. 

“Having trouble?” Chanyeol teased from where he hovered on his broomstick from beside him. His deep voice as clear as day made Baekhyun feel flustered and nervous for a reason he had no idea whatsoever. 

They hadn’t talked in a month and now he’s choosing to bother him again in the middle of a Quidditch match?

“Get away from me, Park,” Baekhyun sighed, eyes scanning the field for the Snitch and watching Sehun at the same time. Slytherin was leading by 30 points, now would be a good time to grab that Snitch before they got even more of a lead. 

“I mean it, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun added before flying away when he thought he spotted something that glinted in the sunlight close to the bleacher, meters away from Sehun. Ravenclaw was putting up a good fight, trying to catch up with Slytherin as best they could and Baekhyun hated to have to disappoint them if he couldn’t get the Snitch.

The game continued on for 35 more minutes before Sehun finally caught the Snitch after racing Baekhyun long and hard for it. 

Ravenclaw lost 150 to 300 and Baekhyun was bummed out. 

Touching down back on to the ground not too gently he stormed back to his teammates who had descended as well. He tried not to show how aggravated he was at himself, instead looking very apologetic. They patted him on the back and told him that it was okay and that they’d try harder at the next game with whoever lost the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. 

Baekhyun made a silent promise to himself to practice his hardest and be at his top form at the next game. Somewhere at the back of his mind he knew he would because he wouldn’t be too distracted with Chanyeol. 

“Better luck next time,” Chanyeol said to him as he passed by the next day. Baekhyun reached out to grab his robes and pulled him back before he could leave. There weren’t any people around so he didn’t have the urge to act demure and keep his head down, if there had been, he might’ve just let Chanyeol go.

“What’s your problem?” Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at him. 

Chanyeol smirked down at him and Baekhyun found that he missed the soft smiles they had shared in the light of their makeshift fire. But the same electricity that jolts him alive whenever their eyes meet these days spreads through him, shocking him awake. 

“I don’t have a problem,” Chanyeol raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Yes, you do. Before the pumpkin-watching you barely even looked at me and now you initiate conversations with me in the hallways? I’d rather we just go back to the glaring, thank you very much,” Baekhyun scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I wasn’t initiating a conversation, Byun. I was just taunting you,” Chanyeol gave him that lopsided smile that made him look cuddly and harmless. 

Baekhyun deadpanned. 

“Yeah, taunting me so that I would talk to you. You know, you could just ‘hi’, that’s how normal people start conversations.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes before smiling, leaning forward. Before Baekhyun could react, Chanyeol glanced at something behind him and leaned back with the usual smirk on his face. 

“Like I said, I can’t think clearly when I’m with you, Byun,” Chanyeol said, walking away backwards, giving him one final smile before turning away and striding away, putting his hands in his pockets. 

Baekhyun was left standing there staring after him. When a couple of lower years passed him by, looking over their shoulders at him curiously then taking a second glance, fascinated, Baekhyun realized that they were who Chanyeol had probably glanced at before he left so abruptly. 

He wondered what Chanyeol would’ve done if they had just decided to go to their classes through a different hallway from the hundreds in Hogwarts. For a second there, Chanyeol looked like he had been leaning forward for a kiss or something along those lines. 

His face flaming and his heart pounding, Baekhyun whirled around and stormed out of there, now finally understanding how people felt when he smiled at them prettily at them. 

With the Winter Ball and Christmas fast approaching, the whole castle was trying to get into the Christmas spirit with people asking people out on dates to the dance left and right. And while no one asked Baekhyun to the dance, it wasn’t for lack of trying. 

He could see them, the girls and the boys, from the corners of his eyes, trying to approach him with the question but whenever he had turned his full attention to them with a bright smile on his face, they’d redden and quite practically run away. Which was good because he didn’t want to have to reject them face to face. 

Baekhyun didn’t plan on going to the dance with a date. He didn’t want to get their hopes up if he said ‘yes’ to someone who asked him only out of politeness. He also didn’t want people to watch them the whole night, trying to figure out what his partner had that made Baekhyun go with them to the dance. 

His friends, however, had all paired up into dates. 

Minseok with Jongdae, obviously. Minseok had spelled a few birds to bring Jongdae a banner asking him to the dance at breakfast a few weeks ago. Jongdae responded by giving him a Howler that screamed, ‘I WOULD LOVE TO!’ the next morning. 

Junmyeon had asked Yixing with a cute bouquet of blue flowers that sang a lullaby every time Yixing touched them. With a soft smile, Yixing accepted and Junmyeon reddened and nodded profusely. 

The most exciting thing that had happened during the past month was Jongin’s confession and coming out. He had broken up with his girlfriend after the first week of classes and had been subtly hinting to Baekhyun that he was maybe – just maybe – he was gay.

For a wild second, Baekhyun thought he had a crush on _him_. 

But he quickly admitted that he might have these ‘foreign feelings,’ he called them, for Kyungsoo and that he didn’t know how to deal with it. Baekhyun was flattered that Jongin had come to him first out of all their friends and had asked him for _love_ advice, seeing as he had none. Baekhyun suggested that they go to the dance so he’d be able to get the feel of it and make sure his ‘foreign feelings’ were real.

(But based from the way Jongin shook nervously when he had pulled Kyungsoo to the side to ask him quietly to the dance, it was quite obvious how much he was secretly terrified of being rejected.)

Studying Jongin curiously, Kyungsoo pursed his lips doubtfully but accepted the invitation nonetheless. Jongin was all bright grins and cheerful laughs for the rest of the day. 

That left Baekhyun and Sehun without dates in their friend group. 

Baekhyun didn’t mind going to the dance alone. He knew that his friends would _never_ let him feel lonely through any moment of the night and that he could always invite others to dance while couple songs were on. Sehun seemed to share the same sentiment, even asking for Baekhyun to save a dance for him. 

Baekhyun had laughed and told him that he’d try to fit it in his tight schedule.

Now, he sat at the dinner table, animatedly talking to Kyungsoo about the potion he had succeeded in making during class. Kyungsoo listened as he chewed through his food, taking in everything Baekhyun was saying just in case he needed to remember it for next year. 

“So it took me a couple of tries but the potion finally…,” Baekhyun trailed off when he saw Park Chanyeol approaching his spot on the Ravenclaw table, walking with quiet powerful strides, his eyes only on Baekhyun. It wasn’t that he had been watching Chanyeol all dinner (although he _had_ glanced his way when he entered the Great Hall), it was just – Chanyeol was very hard not to notice with his green robes and tall stature and cold face.

Kyungsoo noticed Baekhyun’s sudden silence and turned around to look for whatever had caught Baekhyun’s attention. He then saw Chanyeol, whirled back to Baekhyun and then raised a brow, his lips curving into an amused smile. 

Baekhyun threw him a pointed glance, briefly considering standing up and briskly walking away even he still hadn’t finished his pudding. 

The other students started noticing that Chanyeol wasn’t where he was supposed to be as well, glancing around to get a look at where he was headed. A sudden hush went through the hall as everyone realized what _or who_ Chanyeol’s destination was. 

“Can I talk to you?” Chanyeol said as he arrived and stood right in front of Baekhyun who was twisted a bit in his seat to look at him. He hadn’t even said it that loudly but it was like his words echoed through the room. Baekhyun thanked Merlin or whatever forces that were working right now that the teachers had a meeting that night about whatever and that they were not present to witness this. 

Baekhyun tried to keep his cool. 

“Uh – ”

He lost it.

He cleared his throat and stood up from his seat, feeling conscious of every single pair of eyes that were now trained on him and Chanyeol. 

“Sure, let’s go out into the hallway,” Baekhyun tried to put on a confused but polite smile. The mask of the untouchable, angelic, half-veela. 

“I think here is good enough,” Chanyeol said calmly and a little bit of surprise, panic and more surprise broke through Baekhyun’s façade. 

His eyes searched the Hall for Jongdae, seeing him stood on his two feet like the most of them now where to get a better look. Jongdae looked just as surprised and confused as he did.

Sehun, though Baekhyun didn’t see him, was still in his seat, with his chin propped up with one hand as he smirked at the scene unfolding before him. 

Taking a deep breath, Baekhyun smiled but he tried to burn the silent question into Chanyeol’s head with his eyes. 

_ What the hell are you doing? _

Chanyeol showed no signs that he received the message but he did seem a bit more nervous. To anyone else, it wouldn’t even have been noticeable, the expression Chanyeol had on his face probably even bordering on bored, but by the way his ears had started reddening, Baekhyun knew he was getting nervous about something. 

“Okay,” Baekhyun said. “What did you want to talk about?”

His heart was pounding in his chest again and Baekhyun had no idea how to control it. He was probably just embarrassed by all the stares. That was all it was. 

“The dance.”

Baekhyun leaned forward, raising his brows in surprise as if he hadn’t heard right. People had begun whispering amongst themselves but Baekhyun found it hard not to notice the growing knowing grin on Kyungsoo’s face. 

“What about the dance?” Baekhyun asked cautiously, not giving a damn about the whispers and the stares and gasps at this point. Park Chanyeol was asking him about the dance?

“Go with me.”

Baekhyun stared at him, dumbstruck, blinking once and then twice. Park Chanyeol was – 

Was asking him to the dance?

“What?” Baekhyun asked again stupidly. He couldn’t possibly have heard right. There was no way _Ice Prince_ Park Chanyeol was asking him to the dance. 

“I was wondering if you would like to go to the dance. With me. As dates,” Chanyeol said slowly as he rubbed the back of his neck, definitely embarrassed now. 

There were a few squeals from the crowd and the whispering had intensified but none of them were louder than the rushing sound of Baekhyun’s pounding heart in his ears. 

_ ‘No way is Baekhyun going to say yes.’ _

_ ‘He’s going to say ‘no’ for sure.’ _

_ ‘Chanyeol’s probably just going to ditch him.’ _

Those were just some of the statements Baekhyun heard from the crowd and it made him frown. Why did they think that Chanyeol would be a bad date? They’d all be lucky to have someone like Chanyeol accompanying them to a party. 

Baekhyun blanched at himself for having thoughts but they were all true. 

He would like to go to the dance with Chanyeol. 

Smiling genuinely, Baekhyun nodded. 

“I’d love to.”

There was such uproar from all the students around them that it was almost funny but he kept his gaze on Chanyeol who suddenly looked dazed beyond belief.

“Really?” Chanyeol asked in shocked disbelief. 

Baekhyun laughed at his expression. 

And it was like everyone was enamored with him once more at the sight and sound of him laughing. Baekhyun was then quick to morph his expression into that of cool amusement before smiling warmly at Chanyeol, his heart soaring. 

“Yes, really.”

“So,” Jongdae began in an already teasing voice, trailing behind Baekhyun. “I don’t want to say I told you so but –”

Baekhyun sighed. 

“I told you so,” Jongdae grinned at him. 

They were walking back to the dorms, just the two of them after Baekhyun had signaled for them to leave right after the incident from across the hall. Jongdae nodded and quickly strode over to the exit and waited for Baekhyun in the hall. 

Baekhyun had given Chanyeol one last smile before heading out, leaving his half-eaten pudding behind, trying not to look as if he was rushing out and tripping over himself. Baekhyun quickly dragged Jongdae away from the Hall in no particular direction, feeling Chanyeol somewhere close behind. There was no way he was going to stay there after what he had just done, he was probably on his way out now and Baekhyun would rather not see him again until he was done sorting through his thoughts. 

They stopped at one of the open courtyards, the trees filled with magical, twinkling lights and Baekhyun sunk down into one of the stone benches, putting his head in his hands. 

His cheeks were burning, he was sure of it.

“Am I dreaming?” Baekhyun muttered when Jongdae took the seat beside. 

“Tell me I’m dreaming, Dae. Tell me Park Chanyeol didn’t just walk up to me and ask me to the dance in front of everybody.”

“Well, the teachers weren’t there and I’m pretty sure Thomas is still down with something in the infirmary so I wouldn’t really call it everybody,” Jongdae chortled. Baekhyun merely groaned and shook his head back and forth.

“I’m not in the mood, Dae,” Baekhyun moaned out drearily. 

“Why are you acting so depressed?” Jongdae peered at him amusedly. “You seemed alright enough with the idea of going to the dance with him five minutes ago when you agreed.”

“I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of the whole school.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Jongdae muttered under his breath. 

Baekhyun lifted his head up from his hands to glare at him but the pair of people rounding the corner stopped him dead, his heart stopping in his chest but it resumed its beating when he realized that it was just Junmyeon and Kyungsoo.

“Hey,” Junmyeon grinned at him. “So that was quite the spectacle.”

Kyungsoo only smiled from beside him. 

“I’m pretty sure the Great Hall is still rumbling with the amount of students in it still talking about it. Chanyeol’s already left, obviously, dragging a grinning Sehun with him.”

Baekhyun nodded absentmindedly. 

He was going to the dance with Park Chanyeol. He was going to spend another majority of the night with Chanyeol even after he swore that he would never again do so. He was going to dance with him. He’s going to get to talk to him and watch him smile and hear him laugh again. 

“Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo asked, a little bit amused, a little bit worried as he waved a hand over Baekhyun’s eyes.

“Baekhyun!” Jongdae almost shouted, pulling him away from his thoughts. Thoughts that revolved around Park Chanyeol once more. 

“What?” Baekhyun straightened, blinking at him confusedly. “What did you say?”

Junmyeon, studied him, his eyes narrowed. 

“Are you sure he wasn’t Confunded to say ‘yes’?” Junmyeon asked and Jongdae shrugged in response.

“He didn’t Confund me,” Baekhyun said defensively. “I agreed to go with him on my own. No spells or foul-play involved.”

“He might be under the Imperius Curse,” Jongdae joked. “I wouldn’t put it past Chanyeol to try. I mean, have you seen Baekhyun? Who wouldn’t want him as a date?”

Baekhyun slapped Jongdae’s arm sharply. His friend leapt away with a yelp, rubbing the spot Baekhyun had hit. 

“I said, he didn’t curse me or hex me or anything I agreed to go with him of my own accord,” he insisted, blushing against as he heard what he was admitting. “I think it’ll be interesting to go to the dance with him.”

“The Slytherin Ice Prince and the Ravenclaw Little Prince,” Kyungsoo mused. “Interesting might be an understatement.”

Baekhyun smiled a half-smile. 

“Well, interesting is better than boring, right?”

Two days of avoiding Chanyeol and every other living being in Hogwarts except for his friends, teachers and the owls, later, Baekhyun found himself under the shade of a tree in the castle grounds, enjoying the sudden appearance of the warm sun despite winter already on its way. 

It was a relatively early Sunday morning and he was lounging beneath a tree, reading a book while his other friends had gone to Hogsmeade while the others were off doing homework or other stuff in the castle. Minseok, Jongdae, Jongin and Sehun had tried to convince him to join them for a walk around Hogsmeade but Baekhyun had refused. 

He knew a lot of Hogwarts would be around there during this season and he’d rather not go through questioning stares and longing gazes as he went around to shop. 

He lowered himself down unto the picnic blanket he had brought out, laying on his back and placing a book over his face so that anyone who passed him by wouldn’t recognize him. He was just going to take a _quick_ nap and then he’d go back to reading, he promised himself.

Closing his eyes, he slipped into dreamland where he hoped Park Chanyeol wouldn’t hear. 

Not even five minutes later, Baekhyun heard a pair of footsteps approach his secluded tree. Baekhyun just tried to ignore whoever it was. Maybe they’d get the message that he didn’t want to be talked to right now and walk away. 

To his chagrin, they didn’t. 

“Can I sit here?” The familiar voice made Baekhyun’s eyes pop open in surprise. Thankful that the book was there to cover his face, Baekhyun tried to keep his cool when he felt Chanyeol settle down beside him. Taking a deep breath, Baekhyun took the book out of his face but was shocked to find that he and Chanyeol had been reaching for the book at the same time – their hands touching at the action. 

“Oh sorry,” Chanyeol said sheepishly as Baekhyun peeled of the book off of him, pushing himself up into a reclined position, using his arms behind him as support. 

“Why hello there, _date_ ,” Baekhyun found himself asking. “Are you stalking me?”

Chanyeol looked refreshing and even more gorgeous under the sunlight and the wind blowing his hair out of his face. He wore a black fitted sweater and casual black jeans that hugged his thighs perfectly. 

“I saw you from the library window,” Chanyeol pointed at one of the many windows of Hogwarts castle. “Figured you might need some company.”

“Is that what convinced you to ask me to the dance? That I might need some company’?”

Chanyeol gave him a weird look. 

“I asked you to the dance as a dare from Sehun. I had no idea you were going to say ‘yes’”

“So, I should’ve said ‘no’?”

“No!” Chanyeol shouted so loud, some people from the path way, meters away from them looked over. Baekhyun started shaking with laughter. 

 “I’m,” Chanyeol paused, looking away shyly. “Actually really happy that you agreed. I was so sure that you would turn me down and I would walk away, humiliated.”

“Well, I for one, knew you were going to ask me,” Baekhyun teased. “You can barely take your eyes off of me when we’re in the same room.”

“Am I supposed to deny that I find you attractive?” Chanyeol looked at him, the hints of his usual smirk rising on his lips. Those lips that looked like Baekhyun could kiss them for days if Chanyeol would let him. 

“You’ve never really said it out loud before,” Baekhyun challenged, not really sure where the burst of confidence was coming from.

“I’ve told you multiple times how much you dazzle me.”

Chanyeol studied Baekhyun’s face as he said that. His eyes travelling between Baekhyun’s and then to his nose his cheeks and they settled for a little bit longer on his lips before meeting his eyes again. 

“Dazzling is _not_ the same as attractive,” Baekhyun pointed out, having no idea why he suddenly sounded so breathless.

“Fine,” Chanyeol rolled his eyes before breaking out into the smile that Baekhyun thought made him look younger and softer. “You’re really attractive, Byun Baekhyun. So attractive, in fact, that I couldn’t help but ask you to go to the dance with me.”

Baekhyun burst out laughing before Chanyeol had even finished his sentence and not long after, Chanyeol joined in with his chortling. 

“I think you’re not too bad yourself, Park Chanyeol,” Baekhyun grinned at him. 

“Oh, come on!” Chanyeol exclaimed incredulously. “I practically scream how utterly gorgeous you are and all you have to say to me is I’m ‘not too bad’?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at Chanyeol’s theatrics but he found himself enjoying the small back and forth banter that they were doing right now. It made Baekhyun feel normal and chill and it was like all of the world’s problems were so far away and he could pretend to be a normal, teenage wizard. 

“You only find me gorgeous because of the Veela blood. I doubt any of you would be looking twice at me without it.”

Chanyeol frowned.

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Yes, it _is_ ,” Baekhyun said firmly, daring Chanyeol to say otherwise.

“I don’t know about the others but for me, Baekhyun, with or without the Veela blood. I think I’d still be head over heels for you.”

Baekhyun’s toes curled in his shoes at the confession and he had to look away because the burning in his cheeks only intensified when he saw just how flustered Chanyeol was after his confession. 

“What the hell is that?” Baekhyun let out a laugh of disbelief. “You act like you hate me and now you tell me you’re head over heels for me?”

“When have I ever acted like I hated you?” Chanyeol looked at him confusedly.

“The glares? The passive-aggressive arguing? The smirks?”

Chanyeol suddenly flushed a deeper red. 

“The glaring is probably when you catch me staring at you and cursing you in my mind for looking so good. The passive-aggressive way we talk, or well, most of the time, argue is because I feel like I’ll be fawning all over you if we ever just have a normal conversation. You make the cutest expressions and you tell the funniest stories and I swear if I had just let myself, I’d probably fall in love with you.”

Now it was Baekhyun’s time to blush hard. He had never heard anyone talk about him like he was their favorite book or favorite movie. Chanyeol talked about him as if someone worth _talking_ not gossiping about. 

“The smirks,” Chanyeol tsked. “Well, I think the smirks are just part of my personality. The cold, distant, Slytherin ‘Ice Prince’, Prefect of Hogwarts.”

“That’s a very long name,” Baekhyun murmured amusedly. “Do you mean to tell me that you have a crush on me?”

There were a lot of people who had a crush on him, Baekhyun knew that. He’d never really given it much thought because he knew that none of them knew who he was, not really. But the idea of Chanyeol liking him made him feel different. He had no idea why. 

“Was my flirting that night too subtle for you?” Chanyeol cocked his head at him, a boyish smile on his face before rolling his eyes. “I mean, who _doesn’t_ have a crush on you, Byun?”

“A lot of people don’t,” Baekhyun murmured, his mind still whirling that Chanyeol had just confessed to him and yet he didn’t make such a big deal out of it. Like it was the most normal thing to do. 

“Aren’t you going to ask me if I like you, too?” Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol fully. Chanyeol leaned away a bit in shock at Baekhyun’s sudden movement. 

“Er –,” Chanyeol stuttered, reddening once more. “I think I’ll settle with the date to the dance. I don’t want to push my luck.”

Baekhyun blinked at him then laughed. 

“But,” Chanyeol added, leaning forward now, a sweet smile on his face, the mask  of the Slytherin Prefect nowhere to be seen. “I will ask you that question after the dance.”

Baekhyun hummed, trying not to look too flustered with their sudden proximity. 

“Do you think you’ll get a favorable answer?”

“I’m betting on it.”

With the dance just days away, everyone was in a flurry of activity. Every morning when the Owl Post arrived, big boxes filled with the boys’ dress robes and suits and the girls’ flowing dresses and gowns plopped down on each of the Houses’ tables and then the recipients would run off, dragging their friends with them to try them on. 

Baekhyun’s had been sent over by his mother with an attached note that told him to ‘be careful and have fun’. He didn’t open it at breakfast, knowing full well that a lot of prying eyes would be watching him. Instead, he brought it up to his dorms right after breakfast and studied it there. It was a blue velvet suit that came with a turtleneck shirt that Baekhyun assumed would go underneath it. 

His mom knew how much he couldn’t handle the cold, hence probably the black turtleneck. 

Baekhyun shook his head in amusement and smiled. 

The others had received their suits as well but no one wanted to show theirs, saying that it was a ‘surprise’ and that they should wait until the night of the dance. 

A few days before the dance, Baekhyun sat alone in the library, trying to finish off most of his holiday homework because his mother had just informed him that they were going to Japan for the holidays and he didn’t want to have to lug all his books all the way there. 

“You are so typically Ravenclaw,” someone chuckled behind him. Baekhyun turned around to see Chanyeol leaning on one of the bookshelves. Baekhyun’s heart sped up at the sight of him in a thick sweater and black pants. He had gotten quite used to the way his heart thundered whenever Chanyeol was around. It was a wonderful feeling.

“Just because I do my homework early, does not make me ‘typically’ Ravenclaw,” Baekhyun huffed, turning back to the essay he was writing in front of him. 

“Yes, it does,” Chanyeol said, taking the seat beside him. “And it makes you that much more endearing.”

Baekhyun tried to hide a smile as he bent over his unfinished essay. 

They had spent moments like this, bantering and talking, in secluded places like a booth in the Three Broomsticks, hot butterbeer between their cupped hands, walks down to the lake where Chanyeol’s knuckles casually brushed Baekhyun’s but never really holding his hand, random afternoons in the library where Baekhyun read and Chanyeol bothered him and tried to get his attention. 

If Baekhyun didn’t know better, he might have even called them dates. 

“How is it that you know so much about me?” Baekhyun found himself asking Chanyeol one day when they were hanging out by the lake, Baekhyun skipping stones by the edge while Chanyeol stood a few feet away. Their pants were rolled up to their knees, their feet submerged in the water. 

“Look, before you call me a stalker,” Chanyeol began. Baekhyun looked over at him amusedly.

“I just happened to be at the library a lot last year. It’s the only place I could have some alone time without having to worry about someone bothering me. Lo and behold, you were also there a lot, sometimes with friends, sometimes without. When you were with friends, you talked a lot and I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but your voice is really loud, you know. I think that’s when I started liking you actually. You sounded so excited and enigmatic whenever you talked to them. It was cute,” Chanyeol ranted, playing with the stone that looked small in his big hands.

Baekhyun didn’t say anything as he walked closer over to Chanyeol and took the round stone from his hand. 

“Do it like this,” Baekhyun said simply as he threw the stone sideways gently, making it skip across the surface of the water three times before sinking to the ground. Chanyeol watched it go, fascinated. 

Taking another stone from his pocket, he gave that over to Chanyeol. 

“You try,” he urged him gently. 

Chanyeol did try his hardest as he tossed it the way Baekhyun had. Unsurprisingly it sank as soon as it hit the water. Baekhyun let out a laugh and Chanyeol glared at him. 

He handed him another stone and then he wrapped his arms around Chanyeol to shape his arms against his, fixing Chanyeol’s posture and angle. 

Chanyeol didn’t push him away but he stiffened in Baekhyun’s arms. 

“What are you doing?” Chanyeol asked, blushing much to Baekhyun’s delight.

“Teaching you how to skip stones,” Baekhyun simply said.

And with his arms around Chanyeol, hiding his blushing face away from him he said,

“I think you’re cute too.”

As they sat at the library table, Baekhyun silently finishing his homework and Chanyeol read a book beside him, a group of girls passed them by and started giggling behind their hands. They stopped abruptly when Chanyeol looked up from his book with a cold glare, though. 

Baekhyun shook his head when the girls had walked away, snickering at Chanyeol’s reaction.

“You don’t have to glare at everybody, you know,” Baekhyun said. 

“I can’t help it if I look just a bit scary without trying,” Chanyeol shrugged, flipping to the next page. 

“Oh, that reminds me,” he suddenly said, closing the book and leaning forward to rest his head on an open palm to look at Baekhyun. Baekhyun raised his eyebrows in a question without looking away from his roll of parchment. 

“Do you want me to pick you up from the Ravenclaw Tower or not?”

Baekhyun finally tore his gaze away from the scratch of his quill to look at Chanyeol in the eyes. 

“For what?”

“The dance, duh.”

Baekhyun made a face at him, sticking out his tongue. 

“Why can’t I pick you up from the dungeons, then?”

“Because I was the one who asked you to the dance. And I want to enter the Great Hall with you if that isn’t too cheesy,” Chanyeol gave him a smile that Baekhyun suspected he knew made butterflies take flight in his stomach.

“No that isn’t too cheesy. But I can’t see why I can’t be the one to pick you up,” Baekhyun lifted his chin in defiance, pouting at Chanyeol.

A grin broke out on Chanyeol’s face. 

“You just can’t. I want to be the one to do it,” Chanyeol grinned cheekily at him and Baekhyun wanted to give in and give him what he wanted but his stubborn ass refused. 

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, considering. “What about we meet at the top of the grand staircase and we’ll walk down together. That way we’ll be even.”

Chanyeol pursed his lips and Baekhyun was filled with thoughts of kissing him then and there. Thinking of how his lips would feel against his, wondering if Chanyeol would nibble his bottom lip or lick it or – 

He snapped out of it when Chanyeol’s lips twitched upward in a smirk when he noticed that Baekhyun had been staring. Baekhyun’s met Chanyeol’s eyes and he stopped breathing for a second because Chanyeol’s gaze dropped down to his lips. Unconsciously, Baekhyun ran his tongue across the bottom, wetting it. 

Chanyeol leaned away, clearing his throat and blinking away the same thoughts Baekhyun was having. 

“Deal,” Chanyeol said when he seemed to have reined in his self-control. “We’ll meet at the top of the stairs and we’ll walk into the Hall together.”

Baekhyun grinned at him amusedly before looking back to his homework, still thinking about kissing Chanyeol. 

“Will we hold hands?” Baekhyun teased, picking his quill up and dipping it in his bottle of ink. Chanyeol stood up to leave from beside him and Baekhyun had to swallow down the disappointment that rushed through him. But the disappointment was quickly drowned out by shock and elation when Chanyeol leaned in and pressed a peck on Baekhyun’s cheek. 

Baekhyun whirled to look at him, his hand flying to the cheek Chanyeol had just kissed, blushing like mad. 

Chanyeol was equally as red but he smirked down at him from where he stood. 

“If you want to.”

Standing in front of the mirror in their dorm room, Baekhyun constantly tugged at his suit jacket, suddenly feeling conscious. His other roommates had already left to go pick up their own dates, patting Baekhyun on the shoulder and assuring him that he looked okay. He had dyed his hair red for the occasion and slicked it up out of his forehead messily. The suit fit him perfectly, of course, but it wasn’t the fit that bothered him. 

At certain lights, Baekhyun had spelled the velvet texture to shine from blue to green. 

He wondered if it was too much and if he should spell it back. He noticed that in the past few weeks, Chanyeol had been the one doing the most for Baekhyun, sitting with him in the library, telling him he was handsome almost every time they had a conversation. Meanwhile Baekhyun was just there, accepting it all, too shy to do anything beyond tease him and flirt with him. So he decided to wear the Slytherin color for him tonight, subtly of course. Underneath all that blue, the green shone out when hit at the right lighting. 

Baekhyun bit his lip as he glanced at the clock his roommate had on his bedside table. 45 minutes until dinner and then the dance started, 15 until they could all start arriving. The castle was enchanted to play the music being played in the Great Hall in every corridor and hallway, filling every nook and cranny with the sweet lulling tune of strings. 

Even from high above in the Ravenclaw Tower, Baekhyun could hear the tune from way below. He imagined dancing with Chanyeol to that tune and his stomach clenched. He had agreed to go to the dance with him but he had never really imagined dancing _with_ him with their arms around each other and Chanyeol looking at him with those beautiful brown eyes of his. 

Cursing under his breath, Baekhyun ran his hands through his hair one last time before striding over to the exit and rushing down the spiral staircase before catching himself and remembering that there wasn’t any need to rush yet. He reached the common room at the bottom of the tower. There were girls in beautiful dresses waiting in the couches, probably waiting for their friends. 

Catching his eye, they giggled and Baekhyun offered them a nervous smile in return. They inclined their heads in greeting and for once Baekhyun felt as if he wasn’t being stared at because he was different and beautiful but rather because he did his best to look his best and had succeeded. 

Stepping out of the common room, there were a number of boys from different Houses waiting outside, leaning over the stone railings. If they had decided differently and Baekhyun had caved in to what Chanyeol wanted, he’d have been right there with all the other boys. But even if there had been a crowd outside the Ravenclaw common room, Baekhyun was sure that Chanyeol would have stood out from all of them. 

Baekhyun nodded at them politely when he passed by, noting the way some of their gazes followed him as he walked down the staircase to the main corridor. 

His fingers jittery and his breathing a bit uneven, Baekhyun began on his walk to the main entrance of Hogwarts, where on the way he’d meet up with Chanyeol. 

Baekhyun’s mind made up a dozen scenarios to keep him occupied as he walked. Chanyeol standing there with that brilliant smile on his face, wearing something blue to match the green Baekhyun had done for him, maybe even a bouquet of flowers? Baekhyun didn’t know. 

Half-way there, he regretted telling Kyungsoo and Junmyeon to go on ahead with their dates. Now he was left all alone to traverse the long winding corridors to the entrance. He spotted a few others walking toward the same destination but they were all with their friends or with their dates. 

Again and again, Baekhyun played with the button on his sleeve nervously. 

A few minutes later and all that jittery nervousness faded away when he saw Chanyeol leaning on one of the posts decorated with little glowing lights and greens for the occasion. 

He quite literally took Baekhyun’s breath away. His long legs that Baekhyun knew from experience weren’t actually as graceful as they looked were clad in sleek black pants that paired off well with his black dress shoes. But the top, Baekhyun had trouble breathing because of his top. He wore a black suit jacket that was buttoned at the middle and a blue and green silk shirt beneath that with the top two or three buttons, Baekhyun had no idea, he had forgotten how to count as well, unbuttoned. 

His hair was up and Baekhyun would have fallen to his knees right then and there. 

Having not yet spotted Baekhyun, Chanyeol looked eternally bored as he leaned on that stone post, the people passing him by avoiding eye contact and swerving out of his way. 

Baekhyun fought off a laugh at the sight.

Chanyeol finally looked to the staircase Baekhyun was coming from and when their eyes met, Chanyeol seemed to have frozen, his eyes widening a bit. Baekhyun saw Chanyeol exhale slowly, completely enamored and he couldn’t help but blush as he made his way down towards him. 

People had begun staring as Baekhyun approached Chanyeol who was still staring at him, star-struck. 

Baekhyun swatted him lightly. 

“Stop looking at me like that,” Baekhyun hissed, embarrassed, happy and giddy. “You look like a blind man seeing for the first time.”

“It definitely feels that way,” Chanyeol murmured as he drank Baekhyun in. “You look so handsome. It’s like I can’t even believe my eyes.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help the smile that spread across his lips then. 

“Thank you. You clean up nice, too,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head lightly. That was an understatement. Chanyeol looked hot. There was no other word for it. Chanyeol looked hot and Baekhyun briefly wondered how a boy roughly his age was this hot, this tall, and this perfect. 

But the fact that Chanyeol had worn something blue, Baekhyun eyed the blue and green patterned dress shirt resting on Chanyeol’s chest, made Baekhyun so unbelievably happy. 

“No, I take that back,” Baekhyun said, smiling up at him brightly, genuinely. “You look absolutely amazing.”

Chanyeol let out a boom of flustered laughter, his cheeks glowing and the sound made all the butterflies and storms and typhoons in Baekhyun’s stomach churn. 

The other students around them had stared at Chanyeol in shock when they heard his laugh – his beautiful, carefree laugh (that sometimes got violent when he decided hitting whatever was beside him.). 

But all of those other students didn’t matter when Chanyeol held out his hand. 

“Shall we?” He asked. Baekhyun settled his hand in his large ones, squeezing it once before dropping their intertwined hands between them. Baekhyun couldn’t stop the utter happiness he felt inside from spilling out, his smile wider than any he had done as he looked up at Chanyeol.

And once again, Chanyeol stared at him, a soft smile on his face. 

“You’re extraordinary.”

When the doors of the Great Hall were thrown open to reveal it completely redecorated, Baekhyun and Chanyeol hung back a bit to let the others in first. They had met up with Baekhyun’s whole gang, all of them with their dates except for Sehun who seemed happy enough that he didn’t have one. 

Jongdae and Jongin kept eyeing Baekhyun’s and Chanyeol’s hands and mouthing ‘sexual tension’ at Baekhyun. Baekhyun sent them each a warning glare but realized it was too late when he heard Chanyeol snickering beside him. When the nine of them entered the room, it was like everyone inside turned to look at them. 

“This isn’t awkward at all,” Yixing muttered, making the rest of them chuckle under their breaths as they walked to a round table and occupied it entirely. And so, for the next 15 minutes they waited for everyone to make it to the Great Hall, late comers were applauded as they walked in and sheepishly found their seats. 

While they waited, his friends talked over each other and a part of him was glad that Chanyeol seemed to fit in easily with all of them, even going so far as to tease Kyungsoo. Baekhyun spent most of his time staring at the decorations. The candles were dimmed a bit so that the stars on the ceiling of the Great Hall shone brighter than usual, the moonshine flowers in the middle of each table and the fairy lights that were literally fairies that glow a different color flying around. 

Baekhyun tugged Chanyeol’s sleeve, making him look at him, lowering his ear close to Baekhyun so he could hear him better. The small considerate action made Baekhyun feel flustered but he pushed that away and leaned closer. 

“Do you think you could catch me one of those fairies?” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol, grinning as he pointed upward. Chanyeol followed his finger and looked at the hundreds of fairies mingling about above them. 

“No way,” Chanyeol laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t want to get my finger bitten off, thank you very much.”

Baekhyun threw his head back and laughed along with him. 

“Aw,” Jongdae cooed, “Look at them.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol stopped laughing abruptly, a bit embarrassed now that they noticed that everyone at their table was watching them amusedly. 

“Go on,” Junmyeon pushed, a smirk on his lips. “Don’t mind us.”

“We could switch tables,” Baekhyun jokingly threatened, moving his chair to the side to make a show of getting up and leaving. Chanyeol watched him on with a small smile on his lips.

“Good luck _not_ being stared at at any other table than ours,” Minseok said. 

Touche. 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes but stayed in his seat and the casual conversation and banter continued on. Baekhyun slyly making sure that Jongin got to talk to Kyungsoo properly through it all because the poor boy still seemed to be a bit awkward around his crush. 

Not that he was doing too great with his own date. 

When dinner rolled in, various foods and delicacies appearing on what they hadn’t realized was a Lazy Susan, replacing where the flowers had been just a second ago. The next hour and half was filled with stuffing their faces and daring the ones with dates to feed each other (and to be fair, Sehun fed Chanyeol a bite as well). 

After an opening speech from the overexcited Headmaster, he announced that everyone was free to dance until the sun rose during which those who were going home would have to take the train back to London right after. Leading his wife, the Transfiguration Professor to the middle of the dance floor, they formally started the dance. 

All of them had watched on with wonder as they whirled and twirled all around and when it seemed like an appropriate time had passed, other couples, most of them from the older batches, started joining in. Exchanging glances with everyone at their table, they all challenged each other to go first. 

With a resigned sigh, Yixing stood up, straightening the lapels of his jacket and offering his hand over to Junmyeon who looked like a deer caught in headlights at Yixing having been the first to stand up. The resigned expression on Yixing’s face softened into a smile, encouraging Junmyeon to take his hand. Mirroring the smile, Junmyeon took his hand and let himself be led away into the dance floor, not bothering to look back if any of them followed. 

Their small group hollered at the sight of Junmyeon’s flustered but determined face when Yixing began swaying them gently to the music. 

Just as Baekhyun was going to turn to Chanyeol to ask him for a dance, Jongin stood up and shakily offered his hand to Kyungsoo. 

“Would you like to dance?” Jongin said, his voice nervous but clear. After a heartbeat of silence, Kyungsoo chuckled squishily and nodded. Jongin led them away and Baekhyun was left there with a stupid grin on his face, proud of his friend. 

Now, he just had to muster up his own courage. Before he could, though, Chanyeol had already stood up and offered his hand.

“May I have this dance?” Chanyeol smiled at him sweetly. 

Everything inside Baekhyun screamed ‘Yes!’ but he kept it all in as he pouted. 

“I was going to ask you,” Baekhyun sulked as Chanyeol chuckled, taking his hand in his and pulling him out of his chair. 

“Too bad I beat you to it.”

Not ones to be one-upped, Minseok and Jongdae quickly followed. Sehun remained in his seat, waving them goodbye but after a few pointed glances from Chanyeol and Baekhyun, Sehun stood up and looked around for a couple of seconds before settling on a girl who wore a pastel blue-violet dress. She looked pretty and it made Baekhyun wonder why she was sitting all alone at her table.

Baekhyun watched as Sehun approached her slowly and ask if she wanted to dance. She looked at him, shocked but nevertheless she nodded and accepted his invitation for a dance. 

Baekhyun’s attention went back to Chanyeol though when he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer. Their eyes met in the dim lighting and Baekhyun was suddenly reminded of the night they had spent at the pumpkin patch. Baekhyun put one hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder and the other taking the hand Chanyeol had at his waist and lifting them to their side. 

Chanyeol smiled at him gently but it seemed like the both of them were struggling for words. Baekhyun felt like he was floating on a cloud and the only thing keeping him grounded was Chanyeol who was so close Baekhyun could feel his breath fan across his cheeks. 

Baekhyun looked up at him and mustered up a nervous smile.

“How did you enjoy the food?” Baekhyun asked him suddenly, grasping at any topic of conversation he could.

Chanyeol chuckled, catching on. 

“It was great. As per usual. The casserole was a bit salty, though,” Chanyeol made a face and with a small laugh, talking and dancing and laughing with Chanyeol became as easy as breathing. There were times that other students would dance to close to them, too lost in their own partners to notice their surroundings, and they’d be pressed up against each other. 

Baekhyun would feel Chanyeol’s hard chest pressed against his own and he’d lose the ability to think for a second and then the moment passes and they just smile at each other like nothing happened. They exchanged partners with their friends now and again but he went back again and again to Chanyeol, already getting used to the feel of his arms around him. 

Sehun got the dance he asked for from Baekhyun and all they talked about was how much Chanyeol talked about him whenever he could. Chanyeol promised to hex Sehun’s lips together the next chance he could when Baekhyun told him about it but Baekhyun only booped him on the nose, claiming that he was too cute. 

His dances with the others were equally as fun and sometimes they’d just whirl around and around with no control whatsoever, bumping into others who got angry for a second but smiled understandingly when Baekhyun apologized. 

Ten or more so dances later, Baekhyun was led back to the chairs by Yixing, ever the gentleman, after Baekhyun claimed that he was a bit tired after a dance. Jongin and Kyungsoo were sitting as well and they were talking about something animatedly, their expressions bright and open.

Baekhyun smiled happily at the sight of them before turning back to the dancing bodies in the middle of the room and tried to look for his date. He found him dancing with a laughing and cheerful Minseok. 

Suddenly a fairy lowered itself to Baekhyun’s eye level. Baekhyun leaned away in surprise but quickly got over it when the fairy only hovered there, studying him as Baekhyun was studying it. It seemed to be as fascinated with him as he was with it. Its sharp features were startling with its green complexion. Baekhyun reached out with a hand and it landed gently one of Baekhyun’s fingers. 

He tried not to flinch, afraid that it might bite him as Chanyeol had said earlier but thankfully it just stood there staring at him. 

A smile of wonder stretched across Baekhyun’s lips. 

Just then, Chanyeol was suddenly walking over. The fairy, noticing the tall boy went flying away. Baekhyun was sorry to see it go but was glad to have Chanyeol back.

“Replacing me, are you?” Chanyeol asked, indicating the fairy that had sped away. Baekhyun chuckled. 

“It did have your ears.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes but smiled at him, offering his hand for Baekhyun to take. 

“I don’t want to dance anymore, my feet hurt,” Baekhyun whined, making Chanyeol smile lightly. 

“No, no more dancing until later. Come on, follow me,” Chanyeol said, gently taking Baekhyun’s hand in his again and tugging him toward the exit lightly. Baekhyun followed along curiously. Slipping between and behind other students who were too preoccupied dancing, Chanyeol pulled him out of the Great Hall. 

“When I said I didn’t want to dance, I didn’t mean I wanted to leave,” Baekhyun mused. 

“We both need a break from the crowd anyway,” Chanyeol said, pulling him forward gently and Baekhyun found that he agreed. The hallways were empty but the sweet tune that was being played could be heard clearly even as they walked further and further away until they reached one of the courtyards, lit by fairy lights in the trees and the bushes. 

Chanyeol walked to the middle and plopped down on the cold, grassy ground and pulled Baekhyun down with him. Without meaning to and falling over his feet, Baekhyun landed on Chanyeol’s lap and the both of them let out grunts of surprise and amusement. 

“You’re fault,” Baekhyun grunted as he tried to move away but Chanyeol held him there on his lap as he laughed. Baekhyun could feel the way Chanyeoll shook with every laugh. 

“I guess it is,” Chanyeol smiled unabashedly “Sorry.”

Baekhyun’s breathing was shallow as he tried to sit himself  more comfortably in Chanyeol’s lap seeing as he didn’t plan on letting Baekhyun go anytime soon. Swinging one leg over Chanyeol’s lap, he straddled him carefully, being especially careful of Chanyeol’s crotch. 

When they were finally seated comfortably, Baekhyun let out a shaky breath. They had never been this close before but it felt normal – right. Chanyeol’s breathing was just as uneven as he settled his hands on Baekhyun’s lower back as Baekhyun rested a palm on Chanyeol’s chest, ready to push himself off if needed to. 

“I figured you might’ve wanted some fresh air,” Chanyeol murmured. They didn’t have to talk as loud as they had to at the dance floor. Baekhyun tilted his head upward to stare at the open sky above them. 

“I’m having trouble breathing, though,” Baekhyun said. 

“Why?” Chanyeol asked as he nuzzled closer to Baekhyun’s exposed neck, seeping his warmth into Baekhyun’s. 

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Baekhyun laughed. Chanyeol pulled away to smile at him. 

“I’m supposed to be getting you to admit that you like me, remember?” 

The memory of that conversation tugged at the back of Baekhyun’s mind, making him huff out a laugh and nod in understanding. 

“You,” Baekhyun breathed out, looking Chanyeol dead in the eye. The hand he had on Chanyeol’s arm tightening on the fabric. 

“You’re the reason I’m having trouble breathing.”

Chanyeol hummed, a playful grin on that gorgeous mouth. Unconsciously they were leaning closer to each other with every thunderous beat of their hearts.

“And why is that?”

“Because I like you. You make me feel like I’m normal and that I’m stunning.”

Chanyeol chuckled and looked away, blushing. When he looked at Baekhyun again, his eyes shone with triumph and emotion and happiness that it was hard not to smile. 

“What?” Baekhyun asked, noting the glance Chanyeol took at Baekhyun’s lips. 

Wetting his lips, Baekhyun felt his heart race even faster if that were even possible. 

“I’m thinking I might kiss you,” Chanyeol murmured, already pulling him closer. 

“Then do it,” Baekhyun hummed before Chanyeol’s surged forward and captured his lips in his. It was a heated kiss from the start. Chanyeol, like always, wasted no time, already swiping his tongue across Baekhyun’s lower lip, making him moan into the kiss. Chanyeol only took that as an opportunity to deepen the kiss. After minutes of that heavy make-out session, they pulled away for breath, the both of them panting and burning up despite the cold, frigid air around them. 

Baekhyun opened his eyes slowly, not even remembering when he had closed them. He found Chanyeol staring at him lovingly and despite what they had just done, Baekhyun blushed under his gaze but he lifted his chin. He wanted more. More of that. More of Chanyeol. 

“Is that it?” Baekhyun asked mischievously, hooking his hands behind Chanyeol’s neck, playing with the ends of his hair. Chanyeol let out a chuckle before leaning forward to steal a peck from Baekhyun’s pouty lips and then he kissed Baekhyun’s cheek, his nose, the side of his neck and when Baekhyun finally whined he brought their lips together once more. 

Baekhyun let his hands travel upward to tangle in Chanyeol’s hair, tugging at them lightly, enjoying the small moans and groans Chanyeol let out in response. 

They must have been there for hours or minutes, Baekhyun didn’t know but eventually they did stumble back to Great Hall when they had calmed down their sudden need to touch each other every single second. With the way their hair was tousled and their lips were swollen, when they took their seats back at their table, every single one of their friends gave them knowing grins. 

And the night continued on with stolen kisses and swaying along with the music until the candles died down and the ceiling of the Great Hall started lightening up, turning a light violet and peach. Baekhyun looked up at it once before Chanyeol used to fingers to make him look at him once more and pressed a soft and sensual kiss on his lips. One so sweet, Baekhyun’s knees threatened to give out. 

It was around 6am when they had decided to trudge back to their dormitories to take a quick nap before they had to get unto the train back to London. It was good that Baekhyun had had the foresight to pack the night before so now he no longer had to worry about late-night packing. 

Chanyeol wanted to walk him to the entrance of the Ravenclaw Tower and Baekhyun shut him up with a kiss, the other boys hollering and hooting behind them. 

“Go,” Baekhyun said, lightly pushing him away. “Get some rest. I’ll see you later.”

The promise of later seemed to convince Chanyeol enough because he finally pulled away and together with Sehun they walked back to their dormitories. 

Baekhyun collapsed on his bed exhausted but he’d never been happier in his entire life. 

Hours later, they sleepily walked to the grounds where the carriages pulled by thestrals they couldn’t see waited. Baekhyun rode with Kyungsoo and Junmyeon and Jongdae, all of them sleepy and exhausted but with stupid grins on their faces as they talked about last night. 

They separated for a while after they had safely deposited their baggage in one compartment, Junmyeon going to check on the Ravenclaws who had listed down their names as his duty as Head Boy, Kyungsoo went with him. Jongdae went off to look for Minseok, assuring Baekhyun that he’d be back in a little while with Minseok in tow. Baekhyun laughed and nodded before settling himself down on one of the soft seats, closing his eyes. 

Maybe he could sneak in a short nap before his friends came back. 

But the sound of the compartment door sliding made his eyes flutter open and the voice that followed made his heart flutter in response. 

“Is this seat taken?” Chanyeol asked as he slipped inside in all his tall and wonderful glory, smiling so beautifully that it made Baekhyun’s heart clench painfully in his chest. 

“No,” Baekhyun said even though it was. 

“Good morning,” Chanyeol said as he took the seat beside him. “Sleep well?”

“I was actually going to get a few more minutes of sleep until you came in and disturbed me,” Baekhyun joked. Chanyeol chuckled, reaching for something in his pocket. 

“Here,” he handed him a Pumpkin Pasty and Baekhyun cooed at the memory. “As a token of my apology.”

“Apology accepted,” Baekhyun said, throwing his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and pulling him down for a kiss. He felt Chanyeol smile into the kiss, resting his hands lightly on Baekhyun’s hips and pulling him infinitely closer. 

Just then, the door to the compartment opened again to reveal Jongin and Sehun who regarded them with disgustedly amused looks on their faces. 

“Gross, guys,” Jongin said jokingly. “There are children onboard.”

Chanyeol only raised a brow.

“Would you like to see us do it again?” Baekhyun challenged. 

“Gods, no!”

“No, thank you!”

They exclaimed at the same time, bringing their hands to shield their eyes, making the two of them laugh and sit properly in their seats, pulling away from each other, though Chanyeol did leave an arm around Baekhyun’s waist and Baekhyun rested a hand on Chanyeol’s thigh. 

Sehun rolled his eyes at the small touches but grinned at them nonetheless. 

“So are you guys dating now?” Sehun asked. Jongin only leaned backward and chuckled. 

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, looking to Baekhyun beside him, his eyes alight with happiness. “Byun Baekhyun, can I be your boyfriend?”

“Please say yes,” Junmyeon said, stepping on to the compartment, Kyungsoo trailing behind him. The four of them moved to the side to make space for the two of them. 

“Why are you making this decision for me, Myeonnie?” Baekhyun asked him. 

“What are you going to do? Say no?” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes playfully, making everyone laugh. Baekhyun rolled his eyes and looked up at Chanyeol. 

“I suppose dating you could be exciting,” Baekhyun grinned up at him. Chanyeol smiled back at him and leaned down for a kiss but stopped midway when everyone started shouting against it. 

Laughing, Baekhyun and Chanyeol shook their head. 

The train started moving then and the six of them fell into easy conversation. That is until Jongdae arrived with Minseok _and_ Yixing in tow. 

“Did we miss the party?” Jongdae exclaimed, throwing the door open and entering the already cramped up compartment. 

“A single compartment can only hold 6 people, Dae,” Baekhyun said, sticking his tongue out at his best friend. Jongdae  got a challenging look in his eye. 

“You sure about that?”

The next few minutes were filled with shouting and burst of laughter as Minseok, Jongdae and Yixing surged into the compartment and tried to squeeze themselves into the seats. Suddenly, Baekhyun was lifted up and plopped up unto Chanyeol’s lap. 

Chanyeol’s arms snaked around his hips and settled there as he felt Chanyeol press his cheek against Baekhyun’s back. 

Baekhyun turned around to look at his boyfriend and Chanyeol only winked at him cheekily. 

So, the train ride back to London was the most unforgettable one Baekhyun had ever had with all of his friends around him, his boyfriend’s arms around him, Baekhyun had never been happier. 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading until the end~


End file.
